I Really Hate You Right Now
by soloscribe
Summary: An AU story of what might have been. Ignores Twilight and is set a few yrs after. Kibbs all the way. It's always a good time for some Gibbs/Kate and their deepening relationship. complete.
1. Chapter 1

_Continues on in the same AU as "He Worries About Her" and "Around 2AM." Kibbs all the way. I own nothing, reviews are love._

His fingers gathered the chocolate strands, drawing them from her face and tying them into a loose ponytail as she gagged again. About a week and a half ago, when this had all started, Kate had grumbled at him about hating when he had to watch her be sick. _"It's not the first time,"_ he had reminded her, smiling, no doubt, at the memory of Kate running for the head on Air Force One.

"_Probably won't be the last time, either,"_ she had tossed back before being sick yet again. If he had thought that holding back a reply would keep him from getting into trouble with her, he had been wrong. She had still glared at him. It was touch and go in the mornings, usually turning into a scramble to go when she tried to sit up in bed. Frankly, even if they were pretty excited about _why_ she was getting so sick, Kate knew he was concerned that this was happening so often.

"I really hate you right now," she finally spoke, her hand shaky as she wiped her mouth.

Gibbs pressed a cup of tepid water into her hand. "You'll feel better when you rinse."

"I'll feel better when I'm not puking out my guts." Kate accepted the cup anyway, rinsing and spitting out a mouthful of water into the toilet before flushing everything down. She took a much smaller sip next, swallowing experimentally and barely breathing as she waited to see if it would stay down.

He draped his winter robe around her, knowing better than to try to help her up just yet. Experience had taught him that she would say when she was ready to move, and wisdom said it was good to let her be still until then. Her sister would say she was training him well. Kate knew it had nothing to do with training. Her husband was actually very attentive and always had been, going back to the first days they met. At the moment, however, he was pushing it with her.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, one hand reaching out and warding him back. "If you come any closer to me, and I catch a hint of your coffee breath…" She wasn't sure it was possible for to feel any more washed out than she already did, but about the time she spoke the word _coffee_ her face paled even more.

"Staying over here," her husband quickly stepped back. "Can I call Ducky? He's going find out sooner or later, and he might have some suggestions."

Dark eyes slid shut for a moment, her head resting against the cabinet behind her. "I should probably call the doctor."

"They won't be open for another three hours at least, and the best you'll probably get is the answer they gave you at your appointment—crackers, ginger ale…"

One small hand was waving at him again, as if to shoo him away as her eyes closed. "Me. Going to be sick again if you don't… Just… stop. I swear, one of these days I'm going to shoot you. Probably when I go into labor."

It made him smile when she used that irritated voice with him. It made her feel even crankier to see his smile. She had already considered what those long hours, months from now, would be like. Her plan was to push for drugs early on, and maybe break his hand from squeezing it so hard if labor ended up sucking as much as morning sickness.

He twisted the faucet open and began to rinse his face before pulling out shaving cream and spreading it across his chin, cheeks and neck. The scent of the cream filtered down to her, and she was relieved to find it wasn't unpleasant. Maybe she would let him live long enough to give her a back rub later. "I'm glad you stopped sleeping with that gun under your pillow," he answered dryly.

"You should be glad I'm afraid to get up right now or you'd have a few rounds in you already. This is your fault, you know."

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. "Half my fault, Katie. Did Catholic school skip over some of the anatomy textbook?"

"Three-quarters your fault. You were the one that talked me into extra shots that night." She draped an arm over her stomach, toying with the plush fabric of the robe. She had given it to him last Christmas and had promptly stolen it this fall when the chill of October set into D.C.

Secretly she hoped he wouldn't buy her a robe of her own because she liked his too much. She never, ever thought she would be one of those girls—one of the ones who stole her husband's t-shirts and robe and occasionally his house shoes that he never wore but she loved because they were thicker and warmer than her own.

"You want to go back to sleep?" he finally asked, using a wash cloth to whisk away the last remnants of shaving cream from his face.

Kate sighed. "I would love to, but I'm too awake. Might as well go in early. I might have to go ahead and tell my sisters-in-law and go ahead and get their lectures. Ducky might be a good coroner, but he's not an OBGYN."

"You never know with Ducky." He offered a hand, to her, no doubt realizing that she felt well enough to move now.

She took it, slowly rising and waiting a moment before she let go. Although she was still in the middle of her first trimester, Kate could tell her belly was already starting to round a little, her sides thicken just a bit. Her center of gravity was off just enough to feel weird and sometimes slightly off balance.

He nodded to the sink and dropped a kiss in her hair. "Bathroom's all yours." It was one of their agreements early in their relationship—the bathroom was her established territory in the morning. Before he slipped out the door, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Give Ducky a chance."

Her eyes narrowed, and she read what he wasn't saying. "I'm not stubborn," Kate protested, her bottom lip pouting ever so slightly.

Gibbs shrugged. "Didn't say you were," were his last words before giving her the space to finish getting ready for her day while he tried to figure out what he could make for breakfast. She could smell just about anything he cooked from all the way upstairs, and it rarely agreed with her. Weeks ago, he could make pancakes, eggs, or nearly anything else and she ate it up. Now… well, this morning would be interesting, wouldn't it?


	2. Chapter 2

_No idea how long this will end up being, but Gibbs/Kate are fun to write. I love snark. Please be kind: review. Edited and replaced to hopefully make sense…. _

Kate shivered in the chill that always seemed to cling to autopsy. She tugged the coat closer around her, comforted by the scent of sawdust that clung to it. It was Gibbs's coat, which she had needed to borrow because hers was fitted to her former shape and starting to be too tight. Her favorite dress slacks were tailored, too, and she had been pissed this morning when she realized they didn't fit anymore. She would have to go shopping this weekend. In the maternity department. Reality was suddenly starting to sink in.

"Good morning, Mrs. Gibbs," Ducky called cheerfully as she poked her head in cautiously. "You weren't here about Mr. Naik, were you? Gerald took care of the autopsy yesterday, and your copy should be on your desk..."

His use of her married name brought a small smile to her face as she shook her head at his question, finally walking into the room. Empty tables. She was relieved that she didn't have to see Ducky's work. Somewhere in the edges of the room lurked the vague scent of formaldehyde, but it was tolerable. "No, Ducky. I had a, um… personal question for you. Gibbs said I should talk to you…"

"Ah," he nodded, gesturing to a nearby chair. "I'm always glad to help."

She slid onto the stool, hands rubbing nervously at her sides and giving a small sigh. "Um, well … I … Sorry, we haven't really said anything but, I …"

"You're in the family way," the medical examiner finished for her, his voice gentle and affectionate. "I can imagine Jethro's over the moon. As a matter of fact, he has been unusually jovial these days." He walked around her slowly, eyes narrowed. "Somewhere around ten weeks, I'd expect."

Kate gaped for a few moments, shaking herself slightly. "How did you… nine weeks, almost nine and a half…"

Ducky took one of her hands in both of his, chafing it gently to warm it up. "Dear, I see you every day, and I know you quite well. I hadn't put it together until just now, but I can see it. Your gait has changed, too… And you're having trouble with morning sickness." At the second look of surprise, he patted her hand and gave her that worried fatherly look. "You're quite pale today, my dear."

"Yeah … L.J. thought you might have a suggestion for that. I'm sick as a dog every morning. I've been trying to read the books and everything, but so far I can't get around it. As soon as I get up, I'm running to the bathroom, and I can't stand to eat anything until almost lunch. Even then, I'm not always sure I can keep anything down."

The gentleman nodded, making his way to a cabinet nearby and fished out something before returning with a handful of something that looked like cough drops. "This should help, at least for now."

She unwrapped one, staring at the golden lump that looked like candy. "What is it?"

"Ginger. We keep them around for the worst of the cases. And I have a suggestion that may help with mornings. Keep some crackers on the nightstand and eat a little before you try to sit up. It worked for my aunt when she was expecting."

Stuffing the rest of the wrapped pieces into her pocket, she placed the unwrapped one in her mouth. It tasted clean, and she wanted to eat all the pieces right then. Nothing had tasted this good in a week or more. "Mmm… thanks, Ducky." As she got down from her perch, she wrapped her arms around him.

"You're very welcome, Caitlin." He patted her back before stepping back again. "You take good care of yourself and that little person."

Her smile finally appeared for the first time this day. "I promise."

A teasing finger wagged at her. "I'll hold you to that."

"So will I," came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Kate turned, giving a little bit of smile to her husband as he joined them.

Gibbs nodded toward their friend. "I take it Ducky helped."

"He always helps," she answered, still sucking at the ginger drop. "I'll let you know how successful his solution is tomorrow morning."

Gibbs flashed his signature grin. "You never have a problem letting me know, Katie."

"Would you expect anything less?" she countered, glad to finally feel up to this again—the back and forth they had, nearly always playful.

"Nope," came his succinct answer, one arm wrapping around her waist and steering her toward the elevators. "You're with me."

She slid her arm around him and fell in step. "Always. We have a case." It had been a while since they last had a case together. Most of her time, these days, was spent doing on-going profiling for new threats for the MTAC.

"Mhmm, director's loaning you to us for some profiling. You up for it?" He paused at the elevator doors, watching her step inside before he followed. As the doors shut, he slapped at the button, keeping it from moving at all, for which she was grateful. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, giving her a measuring look. "Kate?"

"I'm up for it." Her shoulders squared and she took a slow breath. "I guess I've been pretty … hormonal lately."

Gibbs wisely did not reply. She knew she was waking him up when she darted to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It seemed like half the time she was sick and half the time she had to pee. Her sister had failed to mention any of this when she was pregnant. He closed the distance between them, pulling her into a gentle hug.

"Anyway, I'll try to threaten you with my gun a little less now." The kiss nestled into her hair was his forgiveness. Her fingers were roaming, feeling his jacket and slipping into a pocket and another before sliding to his slacks and searching the pockets, too.

His arms tightened around her a little. "Uh, Katie?"

Amber eyes flickered up to meet ocean blue. "Huh?"

"Not that, uh, I don't appreciate you, but we try to be professional here, and what are you doing?"

She bit her bottom lip, unable to suppress an apologetic smile. "Seeing if you had any power bars on you. I had one in my coat, but sometimes you have one or two…"

"Bottom right drawer of my desk." He dropped a kiss into her hair before reaching around and slapping the power back on for the elevator. As they surged upward, he slowly released her before the doors could open. "Grab the bars, make a bathroom run, and grab your gear. We roll in fifteen."

Her hand gave his a fast squeeze before she stepped into the hall. "Got it, _boss_."


	3. Chapter 3

_In reply to comments on the last chapter, ginger drops are available in a lot of places, plus you can find recipes to make them yourself. I've never had kids, so I haven't tried them. As usual, I own none of these characters, but I love 'em. Reviews are wonderful, and thanks for the ones I've received thus far…_

Gibbs leaned back against the sofa, casually watching the woman they were interviewing. Elizabeth Halbrook was thirty seven, newly divorced, and clearly distraught. He was sure the distraught part was an act and planned to compare notes with Kate as soon as they got back in the car. He could tell his wife was tired, but she was too good at her job to miss anything with her questions.

"You said the last time you saw your ex was about three weeks ago," she stated neutrally, working the follow-up.

Elizabeth nodded, scowling as she clearly remembered the encounter. "He cussed me out, in the middle of my office. I'm the manager at H.R. Not only did I have my department present, but we had potential hires in the office as well. It was humiliating, which is hardly a first."

"Must've made you pretty mad," Gibbs murmured distantly, watching the woman closer yet.

Their subject shifted, as though her feathers had been ruffled. "I said it was humiliating. I'd rather not go into further detail. I'm not sorry he's gone, but I didn't kill him."

There weren't going to get anywhere else with this. It was time to wrap up, so he leaned forward casually and asked. "Where were you on November 12th?" This question was factual, direct.

"Dinner, out, with my two best friends. We went to Nagano—the Japanese steakhouse where they prepare your food at your table on the open grill. We arrived around seven thirty and were there until nearly ten. Give me a minute and I'll write down the names and numbers."

Kate nodded. "That would be helpful." She glanced around the room, searching, and Gibbs was wondering what she was onto when she asked, "I'm sorry, is there a restroom I can use?"

Elizabeth gestured down the hallway. "Of course, second door down the hallway."

He watched his wife slip down the hall, not seeing any subtle cues from her, and turned back to Elizabeth. "The contacts?"

"Oh, of course," she replied, obviously flustered. It took her a few moments of rooting through the end table drawer before she found a pen and paper. She had just finished scribbling down information when Kate rejoined them. "Here you go."

Gibbs slipped it into his pocket. "Thanks, we'll be in touch." As their host showed them out, he scanned the foyer again, eyes taking in the view from the drive and scanning what he could see of the street before slipping behind the steering wheel. It didn't surprise him in the least when Kate slid into the passenger's seat and barely had her seatbelt buckled before she was reclining the seat. "Anything?"

"She's hiding a lot. The whole upset thing was a put on. She's seeing someone—or her breakup wasn't completely over. And she's pregnant," Kate replied with a small smile, only to be interrupted by a huge yawn.

"Was there a pregnancy test sitting out with a little plus sign?" he teased. Gibbs took his time before he pulled out onto the main road, determined to take a slower route back and hit some traffic. It would give Kate time to take a nap.

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Prenatal vitamins in the cabinet. Her name was on them, and they were nearly half empty."

"She didn't look pregnant," he muttered, irritated that he had missed _that_. Reaching to behind her seat, he handed over the extra blanket he had snagged. "How does lunch sound?" They were stopped at a light, and he had the chance to look her over, pleased to see that although she needed some sleep, the suggestion of food didn't make her turn green.

Kate settled the blanket around her, shifting slightly onto her side. "I think I could handle that. Soup or sandwiches, or maybe even Italian. But nothing too crazy." She meant no seafood or Chinese food.

"We'll stop out here and then you can sleep on the way back."

Her smile was grateful. "Thanks."

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

"L.J.," she sighed, her body wrapping around his, smiling as his hand stroked gently over her belly. "I've missed this." Kate practically purred when one callused thumb ghosted over her skin.

"Mhmm," he murmured in reply, lips seeking hers for a tender kiss before dropping a second to her forehead. "Glad you're feeling a little better."

She nuzzled his chest, dropping a kiss to his shoulder before settling her head against it. "My naps helped."

_He was aware that she had been sitting on the stop step of the basement stairs for a while now. Gibbs hadn't liked being called to MTAC at seven forty five when the rest of his team was finally heading home. After finally making it home and spotting the note that she'd left him a sandwich in the fridge, he had found her napping in bed, clad in a pair of his thermals and a pair of sweatpants. He'd tucked a blanket around her and slipped downstairs with his sandwich to work on the hull of his boat._

_Sometime in the last five or ten minutes, she had settled on the top step, not saying a word. He hadn't felt any tension between them, and his wife knew she was always welcome down here any time she liked. They'd spent quite a bit of time down here, delighted to discover that she was patient with sanding blocks and had a newly discovered interest in detail work. She claimed that carving and detailing was like drawing. And sometimes she liked to merely sit and watch him work, though she usually did that from the more comfortable old armchair he'd installed in a corner. At times she would sit with a book, other times with chalk or charcoal and her sketch pad, and occasionally falling asleep before he finished his work._

_He had finally set down the sanding block and made his way up the stairs to join her, mentally noting that he should check the railing and reinforce it soon. It needed to be sturdy, and he should probably add some slats before their kid got here. Their kid._

_Kate had smiled up at him, still a little drowsy but content. "Hey."_

"_Hey, Captain." He had bent down, arms sliding under her knees and around her shoulders, lifting her and making his way up the last step to the sound of her surprised laugh. She always gave him that smile when he called her _Captain._ She had scolded him about carrying her this far when his knee was bothering him, but he had silenced her with kisses that landed them both in a tangle of sheets._

"Glad to hear that," he answered, hand sliding around her side and stroking her back slowly. She was tired more and more lately, but he was less worried about that than he had been worried about her morning sickness. He hoped to God that whatever Ducky has suggested would work in the morning.

She shifted a little against him, fighting the urge to relax, and it made him smile. Kate was never easily calmed. "Making me sleepy."

"That was the idea, Katie." Fingers traced over her back, enjoying the silky skin. It was even better than the smooth grain of wood when he had finished sanding down to the lightest grade. Perfect.

Her head shook slightly against him, but she couldn't hold back the big yawn. "We gotta decide some things."

"Oh?" He wasn't aware that they had anything to decide. It couldn't be work. Although they sometimes discussed a case a little over dinner, they didn't usually talk cases in the bedroom. So it had to do with the baby. "You want to name it already?"

"No, too early for that," she gave a little laugh and another, smaller, yawn. "Not unless you agree to Jethro for a boy. I do want to know whether it's a boy or a girl in a few months."

"You like to know what to expect," Gibbs replied, not at all surprised by her statement. She would have a nursery decorated and organized with weeks to spare. "And no to Jethro, unless you want to agree to Caitlin for a girl." He had to admit, a miniature Katie had occurred to him. He liked the idea.

"Nuh-uh, I never liked the idea of naming a kid after myself. Plus, too confusing."

He twitched the covers a little closer around them, knowing tomorrow would come fast. They would have a whole list of things to work through at NCIS, even with Abby working extra hours tonight to get extra lab tests and gather more information. "So what do we have to decide? When to tell everyone else?"

Kate nodded against his shoulder. "That… and who we're going to name as godparents."

They both shifted a little, eyes meeting in the dim lamplight, stating in unison, "_Not_ DiNozzo."


	4. Chapter 4

_This chapter was harder to write, had to re-write some of it, but I think it works. I own none of these characters, except one little Giblet. Thanks for all the reviews thus far, hope you enjoy this one as much as the others._

"Wake-y, wake-y, eggs and bakey," came the voice, cutting into her dream.

With a grumble, Kate's eyes cracked slightly, blinking in the dim light of the bullpen at night. Her head was resting on one arm, and a blanket was wrapped around her—a blanket that she didn't remember pulling around herself before she'd fallen asleep on the stack of files. She could think of many better ways to wake up, and they all involved her bed and her husband.

"Here." Tony held out a cup, which she accepted cautiously. His hand rested on her forearm. "You getting sick, Kate?"

Her fingers slipped into her pocket, sliding out a piece of the ginger drops, slipping it in her mouth and sucking on it for a few moments. "It's been a long day," she muttered, pushing back disheveled hair and rubbing at her eyes. It gave her a few moments to be sure her stomach was settled before she leaned further back and cracked the top off of her drink. "What… is this?"

"Tea," Tony scoffed. "Gibbs sent you _tea._ I told him you'd want coffee, but he just gave me that look. Seriously, Kate, you're drinking tea and can't stay awake past two AM ? The only time I ever saw you drink tea was during protection detail when you were offered it."

She glared hard at him before taking a long sip of tea and standing carefully. "I assume you had a good reason for waking me up?"

He held up keys and jingled them at her. "Gibbs is on the phone with the director; I'm heading to gas up the car and load our gear." Nothing further was required from her, it seemed, because Tony was already headed to the elevator.

With a sigh, she reached down for her cell phone, muttering when she realized it was on silent. She hadn't left it on silent. Apparently someone had felt that she shouldn't be disturbed from her sleep. Behind her, she could hear the elevator ding softly as it opened, and Kate turned to watch Gibbs step out and move toward her.

"I thought you were sleeping," he said, stopping when he drew even with his desk, which she had commandeered for the night.

"Tony woke me up and said we're headed out," she replied, fighting another yawn and failing to stifle it.

Her husband's eyes narrowed. "I told him to drop off tea, not wake you up."

She shook her head dismissively. It wasn't like she could fall back to sleep right now. "What changed?" It had been a day without a new lead, and their witness list had thinned. He had come in early this morning, leaving her in bed after dropping a kiss in her hair before ordering her not to bother coming in until normal hours unless he called her sooner. She had spent the day scouring internet data bases for Elizabeth Halbrook and hadn't found much.

"I told him to leave the tea," Gibbs sighed. "Sorry, Katie. Go home, get some sleep."

Her head shook slightly in protest. "I should go, too."

"You should go home and sleep in a bed," he replied quietly, in his tone that broke no disagreements.

It was his _boss_ voice, one that was getting on her nerves right now. It probably wasn't helping that she was extremely tired, cranky, and a little hungry. "I'm a big girl, Gibbs. You're telling me you don't want a profiler with you?"

He leaned into her personal space, in that way he knew she hated. "I'm telling you that if you weren't my wife, I would still be sending you home to sleep because you're pregnant. We're not sure what we're getting into up there. It's an all night drive."

She scowled at him. "Will you be wearing your vest?"

"It's not that serious," he dismissed, his gaze holding with hers. Although he still took risks that she didn't like, some of which included him not wearing a vest when she really wanted him to, he was always honest about this. With her. They both knew full well the risks of this job, and he had always respected her by telling the truth about what risk he was and wasn't taking.

With a short nod, she stood and took a sip of her tea. "Then let me grab my gear." Kate shouldered her backpack, double checking that she had a full water bottle, her cell phone, and its phone charger. Before she could take a step, he was blocking her way. "Gibbs," she warned, her voice taking on the same edge it had taken when they first met and he was trying to shuffle her off of Air Force One.

"I'm driving all night, Kate. You want to explain to DiNozzo why we have to stop every three hours for you to use the head? Might get awkward."

Dark hazel eyes met deep blue, and she gave him a measuring look. This protest was different. He wasn't dismissing her, only giving her one more chance to take the out, to take it gracefully. He wanted her to come with him. They still did this dance sometimes, though it was usually when the office was full. It was typically to let others see that he wasn't giving her preferential treatment, to show that she had earned her way into his trust, onto his team. Even if she wasn't officially assigned to it anymore.

"Well, he already thinks I'm coming down with something. He's gotta find out sometime. I just have to beat him to the lab when we get back so Abby doesn't kill me for not telling her first. Besides, if Tony has something to talk about all night, he won't be singing along to the radio while I try to sleep. "

He took her bag from her hands, shouldering it and leaving her with only the cup of tea. "Three minutes to use the head or you get left."

A smile played on her lips as she broke for the bathroom. "I love you, too."


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, here we go again. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's hard to write, but I had fun with this one, too. Need more of a Kibbs fix? Check out "She Scares Him," my latest one-shot. Reviews are always loved, and thanks for everything so far. I own nothing and no one except some student loans. Wish I owned some of Kate's scarves—I loved that in season 1 she always seemed to have a new one. We didn't see as many in Season 2._

"Honey, you okay?" the old man at the cash register leaned forward, brow wrinkling in concern.

Kate scrubbed at tired eyes and nodded as she fought a yawn and lost. Without looking at her, Gibbs could tell she was still pretty wiped out. Washed out roads had forced their trip to take several hours longer than anticipated. What had him annoyed was the fact that at this point they would have been better grabbing a red eye to the nearest airport and driving the remaining hour and a half. "Yeah, it's been a long night," Kate answered kindly.

"Where you folks headed? Not much around these parts."

Yes, it was pretty obvious they weren't locals. He knew it would be a little bit of a challenge in town when they wanted to find answers. Gibbs could blend in, and Kate could give a decent impression of blending. When she wanted to, she could pass by without attracting attention. The only thing noticeable about her right now was the homespun blue scarf that she said her sister had sent to her last Christmas. Personally, he didn't know how she could manage to fit another scarf into the closet. Her collection was extensive.

"Hey, look, sunflower seeds!"

Gibbs turned and glared at DiNozzo. And that was the reason that they would be conspicuous no matter where they were. Between his loud mouth and his designer suits... even DiNozzo's jeans shouted 'designer.'

Tony shrugged, turning to Kate. "Guess he's not a seeder. What about you?"

"I'm fine," she muttered, swallowing a little, making Gibbs sure she was feeling a little nauseous again. He had tried to keep the driving fairly tame, even getting a comment from Tony about the civilizing effects of a wife. She paid for a small box of crackers, her water, and his coffee and handed the cup over to him before stalking back to the car and claiming shot gun.

"We're headed to Hayes," Gibbs answered the man finally.

The man looked hard at them as he ran DiNozzo's credit card. "Not much in Hayes worth seeing."

"We're going for a funeral," Tony answered, managing to look genuinely grieved. "Kate out there, her father just passed the other night. Stroke, pretty sudden, hit the whole family hard. He had his share of health problems- who doesn't pushing seventy? But anyway, turns out being diabetic and all, and they missed the signs. He was sitting out on his back porch with his hound dog, and what do you know, his wife found him an hour later cold as stone. You know they say it's the silent killer-"

Gibbs was tempted to laugh, but he shrugged. "It's about time we hit the road again- long drive and all."

The cashier still looked a little shocked by the story DiNozzo had spilled out, but he nodded. "Of course... drive safe."

"Take care of yourself," Tony tossed back, giving him that serious look that only DiNozzo could pull off.

He couldn't help but smile as he slid into the driver's seat, sure the man must be calling his general physician right now to schedule a check up. "Well, he remembered Rule 7."

"Did you proud, Boss," Tony grinned, tugging his seatbelt into place. "You sure you don't want me to drive?"

He shook his head and started the car and pulling back onto the road. "I got it. Get some sleep now because we're on when we get there-"

"L.J... stop the car," Kate suddenly interrupted, her jaw tight. Her hands were slapping at the buttons for the door and the window and making that little strangled sound that he knew meant nothing good.

"Hang on half a sec-" He swerved onto the side of the road, lunging to catch her arm and steady her as she tried to climb out before the car had slowed enough. "Kate-"

Her head shook, and she shoved the door open, leaning out and gagging.

He had to lean over her to keep the door from swinging back and hitting her. "It's okay, Katie..."

Tony beat him to Kate's side, the younger man holding the door with one hand and pushing back her hair as she coughed again.

"I should have left you in MTAC," Gibbs sighed, though he couldn't bring himself to really regret having her with him. What she really needed was sleep, but that wasn't going to happen. He climbed past Tony, quietly thanking the man for holding the door. Crouching, he took over holding back her hair, thankful that this road was empty. This wasn't a terribly safe place to be pulled over, but he knew it would be a little while before Kate's stomach settled again.

When she was down to dry heaves, he slid a hand to her lower back, rubbing firmly.

"Don't touch me," she begged, head leaning against the door frame as she straightened a little. Her eyes were tightly closed, lips pressed tight in an attempt to will her body into compliance. This had happened a few times- her not wanting him to touch her, to give her a few moments. This was the part of dealing with women that he hated: his helplessness to do anything to make her better.

Tony handed over her abandoned bottle of water before stepping back out of respect for Kate's request. For someone so frustrating, he could be very perceptive. He had stayed there for a while now, watching the road and giving them space. "Seriously, Boss, what's the deal? She barely ate anything, and she's thro-"

"Don't say it," Kate stammered, swallowing hard and taking a tiny tip of water. One eye cracked, blinking owlishly up at him in the light from the car's interior. "Someone stop the dinging sound?"

Gibbs reached over and tugged out the key, the light going out for a moment before he turned on his Mag light. "Talk to me."

"I'll be okay," she answered, swallowing another tiny mouthful of water, her voice sounding the exact opposite of _fine_. "Head ache... Once this calms down a minute, I'll just nap until we get there."

"Gibbs, come on," Tony pressed, his gaze flickering between the two. "You don't get migraines," he accused Kate. "Is this some kind of brain tumor or..."

"I'm pregnant," Kate answered quietly, managing another little swallow before peeking up at the two men standing beside her.

Gibbs chuckled to himself as DiNozzo glanced between the two of them, DiNozzo's mouth gaping, closing, and opening silently again. "Well, Katie, you finally found a way to shut him up."


	6. Chapter 6

_If you seriously think that I own any of these characters, you're ridic. All I own are student loans. Reviews = love. Long live Kate/Gibbs. I can't believe I've made it to 6 chapters, thus far…_

Kate sank back slowly into the seat, fingers blindly reaching for the seat warmer and switching it on. Her stomach was finally settling. The crisp morning air, while wonderful and clean-smelling, was making her start to shiver. When silence reigned for another moment, she opened her eyes.

"Tony?"

"Sorry," their fellow agent answered, shaking himself slightly. "You're really pregnant? Bun in the oven? Knoc-"

"Finish that one, DiNozzo, and we're leaving you in Nowhere, Pennsylvania," Gibbs growled, head slapping his second even though his wife noticed he had that punch-drunk grin plastered all over his face. It was the same grin he had flashed her when she first broke the news to him.

_She padded slowly down the basement steps, clad in thick cotton socks pilfered from Gibbs's drawer and one of his old USMC t-shirt that was practically a dress on her. A smile played on her lips when her husband didn't turn around at the sound of her steps, but he shifted slightly and then relaxed. He knew her footsteps. _

_From her perspective, the view was very nice indeed. He was sanding in long, slow strokes, his powerful body stretching with the movement, muscles shifting under his shirt. Sawdust tickled her nose, but she managed not to sneeze and ruin the moment. Holding the box behind her back, she stalked toward him, sliding one arm around his waist and hugging him from behind._

_"Hey, Gunny," she murmured against his back, dropping a kiss there._

_"Captain," he answered, a smile in his voice._

_She nuzzled his back before resting her cheek against it, loving the sound of his voice as it echoed slightly. "Are you gonna finish this boat someday?"_

_Gibbs paused, obviously thrown slightly by the question. "Depends on whether my help bails on me or not." Truthfully, he didn't spend as much time on the boat as he used to. The all-night boat sessions were a thing of the past, although he did spend time unwinding down here most nights and often spent the better part of a Saturday afternoon there. At times she joined him, sometimes she felt he needed his space and was glad to let him have it._

_"I won't go AWOL," she replied with a small laugh. "But really... when will it be finished?"_

_"Maybe sometime this spring," he replied, starting to turn, but her arm stopped him. "Why?"_

_Her other arm slipped around him now, offering up the box. "Then we're gonna need this."_

_As he shifted again in her arms, she released him this time, coming to stand alongside him as he dug out his pocket knife and cut the packaging tape. Deep blue eyes flickered to her, and she prayed she wasn't giving anything away as he resumed opening._

_Kate had spent most of the day trying to figure out the perfect way to tell him. She wondered, more than once, what Shannon had said when she discovered she was pregnant with Kelly. Finally, in the early afternoon, she thought of the perfect way and had hollered down the steps that she was running some errands and would be back. His only reply was 'grab some toilet paper while you're out.' She'd managed not to laugh._

_Weathered fingers opened the flaps, and Kate held her breath in anticipation as she shifted anxiously. It was so tempting to blurt it out, or to reach in and tug out what lay inside. Sometime she swore he was trying to test the farthest limits of her patience._

_The little red life vest looked even smaller in his hands than it had in the store. He let the box fall beside the skeleton of the hull and held up the present. _

_Her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, Kate nibbled it absently, shifting back to her other foot again. When his grin spread wider but the silence continued, she finally burst out, "Say something!"_

_One strong arm pulled her to his chest, hugging her firmly but, she noticed, not _too _tightly. Warm lips pressed to the top of her head. "Really, Katie?"_

_"Really," she burred into his chest._

"Congrats, Boss," Tony finally said, his own grin plastered to his face. "Kate?"

She glanced up at him, the littlest bit wary.

Tony's hand reached out and patted her shoulder gently. "It's exciting."

He really could be so sweet when he wanted, and she let herself be charmed. "Thanks, Tony... Now maybe we should get going? I'm feeling better, except that I'm freezing. My 'bun in the oven,' as you so affectionately named it, is going to be a popsicle at this rate." Before he could step back to shut the door, Kate caught his arm. "But don't you dare tell Abby! I get to tell her. If she finds out from you that I told you before I told her... she'll kill me, and then Gibbs'll kill you."

Tony's laugh echoed Gibbs's, and Kate had to admit that it was nice. They had these moments, on rare occasion, when things were good. Okay, they were missing a lot of information on the case, but they could take a moment like this one. She savored these times when they could step back for a half a second and breathe. It was that feeling she had a child when everyone was together for the rare Thanksgiving dinner- back when she was still in school and her brothers nearby, when Rachel could clear her schedule and fly in to join them. These days, it was Kate who usually missed holidays. She would have to figure out a way to make it up to Indiana soon, maybe for Christmas or at least New Year's.

Her own sudden burst of planning was catching up with her, although she suspected a night in the car wasn't helping matters. With a yawn, she let her eyes close again, pulling her seatbelt into place as the car slowly rolled from the shoulder back into the lane. They were gathering speed, and she let sleep wash over again, dozing off to the sound of Tony's list of name suggestions. Somewhere between 'Tony Junior' and 'Leo,' she lost the battle to sleep again.


	7. Chapter 7

_First of all, I have edited the first six chapters. I figured out the "replace" option and have updated all previous chapters, so things should make a little more sense now. I think the initial confusion with this story was because of computer problems and trying to learn fanfic's system._

_I hope to update regularly, and I post new chapters as soon as I have them completed. This is the same universe/AU as "He Worries About Her," and all other Kibbs fics that I write. We've got some domestic and nostalgic Gibbs ahead. Enjoy. Thank you to all who review, you make my day._

"Boss? … Boss?"

Gibbs ignored the first few calls from the backseat, wishing his senior field agent would fall asleep again. They'd managed to drive for almost an hour since pulling over, and Kate was sound sleep in the passenger seat beside him. "Wake her before we get there, and I'm driving you back to that gas station and leaving you there."

Behind him came a sigh. "I might take you up on that offer," came the muttered reply.

He tilted the rearview mirror, eyes narrowing. "Something you want to share, DiNozzo?"

"I can't sleep with _that_ going on," Tony grouched, nodding emphatically towards Kate. "She sounds worse than McGee during allergy season. Kate's never snored before."

Inwardly, he cringed. "Started about three weeks ago," Gibbs answered. Admittedly, there was something just a little cute about it. This was the woman who could kill in a pencil skirt, who enjoyed a good manicure, who still made a face when she had to trade in heels for boots. Katie was as decidedly _female_ as he was male, and to hear that coming from her… It was cute, as long as he fell asleep first.

"Is she gonna... keep snoring like that forever?"

God, he hoped not. Giving half a shrug, Gibbs glanced into the rearview mirror again. "Why don't you ask Kate?" Now that he might pay money to see. Actually, no. If DiNozzo was stupid enough to ask Kate, then DiNozzo was too stupid to be his senior field agent. Then again, if he was stupid enough to ask Kate, he probably wasn't going to be around much longer.

Over the years, he had developed a few personal rules, outside of his work rules. It hadn't taken long for her addition to the team to add a new rule: _be cautious when messing with a woman who grew up with three older brothers._ She was sly and her dark humor could border on ruthless. More than once she had threatened to burn down a boat.

"I value my life too much," came the grumble in reply. The rustles behind Gibbs let him know that Tony was stripping down his coat and bunching it up. Probably for use as an impromptu pillow.

Gibbs adjusted the heat, turning it down a bit. A few years ago, he would have set it when he got in and left it. He didn't try to freeze them out, but he knew that it was impossible to please everyone with the temperature. Kate had learned to keep a blanket nearby just in case, but especially now that she was pregnant, he was willing to be a little warm to keep her comfortable. Marriage had definitely changed him. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that he hadn't made so many concessions for a wife since Shannon. What's more, they hardly felt like concessions at all.

Kate murmured something in her sleep and shifted a bit. He'd noticed she was doing that a lot more, too. Normally Kate was out cold once she drifted off. He could only imagine what it would be like in her last trimester. If it was anything like Shannon , she would have a time finding rest.

_"Shan?" he burred sleepily, feeling the bed dip a little as she moved._

_"M'fine. Go back to sleep, Jethro."_

_He shook his head, even if she couldn't see it in the dark and realized she had kicked off her half of the covers again. "It's not time, is it?"_

_"No," she sighed, turning to face him and taking several long moments to adjust pillows and try to settle again. "I'm just hot. And she's kicking again. She'll be a great soccer player if she keeps this up." She caught his hand, bringing it to the side of her swollen belly._

_The kick was strong, and it made him smile a little to feel the life growing in there. Theirs. "Wow," he breathed, smiling a little wider at Shannon 's small chuckle._

_"You should feel it on this end," came her wry answer, cut short with a little hiss as another kick came._

_He rubbed slowly, not sure it would do much to calm the baby but knowing it always relaxed Shannon . She mumbled a quiet "thanks" and eventually her breath evened out._

"Boss?" came the grunt from the backseat, pulling him from his memories.

"Yeah?" he clipped the word, not sure if he was irritated at being pulled from the reverie, or if he was glad to be brought from it. Kate had been more understanding than anyone he had met before concerning his first marriage. She was curious, sure, but she never pressed. She let him speak when he wanted to, let him keep quiet. Sometimes she asked questions, and he had told her that she could, but when he preferred not to answer, she never pushed.

"How do you live with it?"

He couldn't help the grin. "Better than basic, DiNozzo. I should have sent you undercover as enlisted. It's not exactly peace and quiet in the racks." Gibbs had learned quickly to fall asleep regardless of the circumstances. He could go a long time on little or no sleep, but he could fall sleep just about anywhere. Including carriers. After a while, your body needed rest, and then it didn't really matter what the circumstances were.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

Kate fought another yawn as she fell in step with the captain who was assigned as her liaison on base. They were passing the commissary now, and she tried to shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. She couldn't pinpoint what, exactly, was wrong. Maybe it was too much of her husband's influence, but something was going on.

She was thankful that she'd managed to wake up feeling as rested as she could after sleeping off and on all night in a car. Two ginger drops had staved off any morning sickness this time, and she made a mental note to give Ducky a big hug for that alone. It was the first morning in weeks that she'd managed to eat breakfast _and_ keep it all down long enough digest. In truth, she should be feeling a lot better than she was.

"Here, ma'am," her escort clipped, mounting three concrete steps and holding open the door.

Kate slipped inside, noting the non-descript interior. It was military issue all around, cinder block walls, flat neutral paint and desks that could have been from any of the last six or seven decades. Several clerks were busy filing away, and everything appeared to be business as usual. Well, appearances could be deceiving, but she wasn't picking up any body language from the clerks beyond benign curiosity when they glanced up as the door opened.

The captain was moving quickly down a hallway to the sixth door on the left. It took a moment of fumbling with keys before he had the door unlocked and opened. "Halbrook's office, ma'am."

She slipped on a pair of gloves and stepped into the room. Her eyes started scanning immediately, but she was a little disappointed to see that on the surface, at least, there was little to personalize the workspace. Not that this surprised her coming from the military. A stack of files rested in an upright sorter, each file folder looking almost pristine, the papers inside stacked neatly. _Likes precision and control,_ she mentally noted. "Has anyone else had access to this office since the incident?"

"A few officers have keys, but two were on leave for the weekend, logs will tell about the others."

The chair behind the desk was definitely broken in, indentions in the vinyl indicating how Halbrook sat. She slid open the center drawer, pulling it as fully open as she could. A single box of black pens, another of paper clips, a single correction tape (barely used), calculator, and a packet of breath mints were the only items inside. "No surveillance in the hall," she mused, half to herself.

"No, ma'am. Anything sensitive is kept in other buildings, and all of the offices have locks."

Kate's eyebrow lifted. "Locks can be picked."

He shrugged. "I don't make the security recommendations."

She slid open the next drawer and found a black moleskin calendar. Shrugging off her backpack, she pulled out a small digital camera and began to process it as evidence. As she slid the drawer out even further, she found a small hairbrush in the back that needed to be cleaned. It had long hair that could have matched Elizabeth Halbrook, but that would be for Abby to determine. Pulling out a fresh evidence bag, she began to bag and tag it, too. "

The rest of her sweep of the office turned up a small bag in the corner with dirty workout clothes, which turned Kate's stomach a little, but nothing else outside of the usual office collection of various supplies and folders. "When does maintenance clean?"

"Tomorrow."

She sighed, at least they had caught a break on something. "I'm taking these and the bag," she said, claiming the evidence she'd collected. "I'll need to seal the door. We'll be taking his computer, too."

The captain shrugged. "I'll have the Lance Corporal help you with that."

"What else did Major Halbrook have access to? What did he access regularly?"

"Records, down the hall," came the answer.

Kate slipped out the door and began pulling out the necessary items to seal the office. "I'll need access to that, too."

It didn't take long to seal the room, and she shot off a quick text to Gibbs letting him know they would have equipment to bring back. _At least he had a flat screen monitor_, she reminded herself, glad manufacturers were moving away from the bulky styles of the nineties and before. As they made their way to record storage at the end of the hall, she checked her phone again. No missed calls, no reply to her text, yet. _You sent it maybe a minute or two ago. Give them time._

At the door, the captain excused himself and swiped his card to access. "The files you want are in here. He indicated several wide cabinets, all of which were closed. He quickly crossed to them, scanning over the labels before unlocking three and pulling the top one open. "Service personnel files." Stepping back, he sat himself in a chair by the door.

She skimmed through the H's and pulled out Halbrook, Allan David. Kate was flipping through the pages for a moment when she glanced up. "The door locks itself, right?"

He nodded, confused.

"I'll be fine in here," Kate insisted, nodding toward his chair. "You don't have to wait."

"I'm your base escort," he answered.

"Suit yourself," she replied with a shrug before claiming the folding chair in the corner and opening it up. She settled in, reading through the file and trying to shake that strange feeling that continued to nag at her. Maybe impending motherhood was making her go crazy.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks for all your patience. This chapter was slow in coming, but I'm already going on the next. I own nothing but some student loans. Enjoy._

The soft beep from her PDA pulled Kate's attention from the files in front of her. She flipped open the device and scanned the message. It was from Tony. Of course it was. Gibbs, technophobe that he was, refused to learn how to text. He always claimed that if he needed to talk to someone, he would pick up a damn phone and talk to them. Some days she marveled that he ever gave in to email.

_DINOZZO: We're at the firing range. Bring some ear plugs. Hope you had more luck, we don't have much._

Kate slid the files in her lap into an evidence bag and rolled up her gloves and stuffed them into her pocket. "I'm done here. I need to go to the firing range."

The captain stood quickly and pushed his chair against the wall. "Yes, ma'am. It's south of the compound." Slipping out ahead of her, he held the door and made sure it latched shut behind them.

In moments like this, crossing the compound in relative quiet, she wondered what Gibbs was like before the Marines. Had he always been so silent? Jackson had once said L.J. was a happy child, but he never mentioned if he talked much. Her hand slid unconsciously to her belly, and she wondered what this kid would be like.

What their child would decide to do with his or her life.

_Not Secret Service,_ she hoped. It had been hard on her parents and her siblings to know that she was putting her life on the line every day. She had loved it, yes, and she liked to think she was pretty good at it, too. She hoped this child wouldn't want to go into law enforcement, either.

_But L.J. served, and so did Jackson._ Military service was a tradition in the Gibbs clan, and she now remembered hearing Jackson mention a father and grandfather of his that served in various branches of the armed forces. _God, I hope this kid becomes a doctor or an entertainer, or even a forensic tech. _Yeah, she was pushing for any of those. If it came down to law enforcement, she was going to let Abby brainwash their kid into forensics. It was relatively safe.

"Ma'am?"

Kate felt the hand on her upper arm, and she almost jerked away in indignation before she realized she was about to walk off a curb. "Thanks," she murmured.

"You'll want these, too." A set of padded ear muffs was offered.

She took them with a nod. "Thanks."

"Ma'am, are you sure you want to head out to the firing range? They use some pretty heavy artillery out there…"

With a smirk, she spread the muff and lifted them. "It's not my first time to a firing range, Captain. I'll be fine." They slid into place easily, and she fell in step with him again. Twenty feet further, and she nearly dropped with the resounding boom and tremor that tore through the ground under her feet.

Beside her, the captain chuckled, although she had seen him start at the noise. "Artillery, ma'am!" he shouted, waving in the direction as another flash crossed, several hundred yards ahead.

Her hand went instinctively to her belly, and she tried to appear composed. "My team?" she hollered, giving him a withering look as he motioned her on ahead.

At nearly seventy feet, Kate could see the tension in her husband's stance. This wasn't good news. He hadn't found the answers or even a lead like he had hoped. She knew a lot of his frustration was going to be that he dragged his agents, particularly her, miles up here through a night of driving for little or nothing. Privately, she hoped Abby or McGee could get something off of the things she found in the office.

The artillery was blasting away at irregular intervals, and all of it was aimed in the opposite direction from their approach… and Kate still flinched at each fire. At twenty five feet, silence descended, and she began to wonder if she would rather hear the blast of weapons rather than waiting nervously for the next blast.

"Called a halt!" Gibbs explained, his eyes searching hers for a moment while Tony was busy questioning a master sergeant.

Kate gave him a slight nod of her head and a tight smile. His eyes softened, and he passed over a bottle of water, even though she had half of her bottle wedged into side pocket on her go bag she was carting. She took the sip, and gave a small but genuine smile when he pulled her bag from her shoulder and slung it over his without a word. "We'll have some presents for McGee. DiNozzo find anything?"

Gibbs went still, his gaze narrowing and falling on his senior field agent. "Maybe."

"Sir?" came a voice over a radio, making Gibbs growl as the master sergeant reached for the receiver. "What's the hold up?"

"My orders," snarled the burly looking man who didn't seem very happy about the direction his interview with Tony was taking. He released the mic and turned on Tony. "Are we about done? I have a live fire exercise to run here, and this team has managed to screw up the last two. Corps doesn't pay me to sit around and shoot the breeze with N.C.I.S."

Gibbs quickly skirted Kate, striding over to the two men and leaning into the other man's personal space. "I don't care for your tone, Sergeant. We're taking this inside."

"I have orders, _sir_," the man retorted.

Gibbs shrugged. "I. Don't. Care. We can take it inside, down there," he nodded toward the direction Kate had just come from. "Or we can take it back to D.C. I don't think your superiors are gonna like this at all, but I bet they like it a hell of a lot better than finding your replacement."

The Marine glared at him, but he sullenly fell in step. From Kate's view point, he looked like her dog, Toni, when Kate had tried to drag him to the vet. Toni had growled and scratched and put up a fuss but finally submitted in the end… although there was that little chunk the dog took out of the vet assistant's hand. Sometimes she wished she hadn't been forced to give up her pet to a family in the neighborhood. Her erratic scheduled simply didn't allow her to be home enough for a dog.

Kate and Tony exchanged knowing glances and silently took up the rear. As they stalked back in the same direction, she was aware of the captain falling in step with them as well, although he flanked them a few feet away, giving her space.

"You okay?" Tony gave her a side-long look, brow furrowed.

Gibbs glanced over his shoulder, scrutinizing. "Kate?"

She shrugged, unable to voice the feeling she couldn't shake. When her husband turned around again and picked up the pace, her gaze flickered back to Tony. "Abby would have plenty to say about this."

"Hinky?" Tony asked quietly, his strides long to keep up, Kate practically jogging alongside.

"Very," she enunciated.

The captain directed them to an office building nearest to the range, leading them inside the building. It was the same squat building, cinderblocks and light paint as the other offices. A single clerk was typing diligently at a computer, and he didn't even bother to ask as the captain led them through the hall into a room nearby.

Kate and Tony slipped past the men toward the corner, taking a seat along the far wall as Gibbs jerked a chair in front of the single table and pressed the master sergeant into it. He took the notepad and pen that Tony offered, letting the notepad fall with a loud slapping sound onto the table.

"October twentieth. Talk," Gibbs spat.

"I was running the firing range, small arms," came the exact reply. "I was there all day, there til twenty hundred."

"Why so late?"

The sergeant's jaw ground slightly before he met Gibbs's gaze again. "Two idiot jar heads couldn't set up their sights. Had 'em assembling and disassembling their weapons and sights til they could do it in their sleep, then made 'em sweep up the brass from the range."

Gibbs scribbled on the pad, glancing up once over the rim of his glasses. "You can do better."

With a shrug, the sergeant glanced over at Kate who was watching him carefully. So far he had been telling the truth. He gave her a once over before looking back at the man questioning him and almost shrinking back from the fierce glare.

Kate almost—_almost_—smiled. Beside her, she saw Tony's shoulders shake slightly as he tried not to laugh.

"I was still pissed, alright? Drove to a bar just off base, had a few drinks, shot a game of pool to cool off."

With a slight incline of his head, Gibbs pressed, "Anyone to verify that?"

"Chase, the bar tender. Works most weeknights. Hell, the probably have a camera or something—"

The loud clang from down the hall had all of them on their feet in moments. Gibbs motioned them back, all of their weapons cleared and at ready. His fingers reached for the door, and as he started to open it, it came flying at him. He caught the edge of it and threw his weight back as it connected with a crack against the face of a heavily armed man.

Another weight, and the door was forcing open again, shoving Gibbs against the wall. He lifted the butt, about to bring it down on the new assailant's shoulder, but he didn't pull back fast enough and the weapon went flying.

The room swarmed for a moment, and Kate and Tony managed a few shots, most of which met something with a thud, but barely slowed their assailants. _Vests_, she thought before her weapon was kicked from her hand, and she was lifting her arms from instinct. The room was a blur around her, and she had time to register the men were in their own scuffles when she dodged a hand grabbing for her and blocked a punch, getting in fist to a cheek before her arm was grabbed and swiftly pinned behind her. She wasn't sure how she was bending down, but she quickly went with the movement, curling instinctively and praying for a wild moment that a kick wasn't coming next.


	9. Chapter 9

_I'm always surprised at how many people are adding this to their notifications. Thank you for your faithful reading. This is so much fun to write, and as always I own none of it. Reviews are so appreciated, and thank you to those who review so often. I love to hear what people liked, what you think._

Despite all of the noise in the room, all of the shouting and sounds of fists on flesh, it was the grunt from Kate that caught Tony's attention. The distraction cost him, his attacker sneaking a jab to his gut, which he deflected enough to bring it to his ribs instead. He sucked in a breath and threw a hook, not caring that his knuckles split against his assailant's front teeth. To his side, he could see his boss in the thick of it, Gibbs's left arm dangling at an odd angle. Dislocated. Again.

Sending silent thanks to the Boss-man for the hours of combat training and Rule 9, he dodged the upper cut and freed his knife. He didn't have the deadly skills of marines with a blade, but he had made it through his share of brawls to know how to keep his ground. They were in too close, and he and Gibbs had charged too quickly for their attacker's rifles to be much use beyond a blunt weapon.

The men coming in had separated him from Kate, and their weapons were sliding across the ground. He could see his partner ducking and getting in a few punches, but even with her training he wasn't sure she was going to last much longer. He heard, rather than saw, the thud of something hitting his boss in the side. Gibbs had some adrenalin running, but even Tony knew that his ability to hold the man off wouldn't last forever. Not with a useless arm.

"Kate!" Gibbs shouted, his knee coming up to hit his opponent in the nose as the man ducked a punch.

Tony dodged his opponent's lunge, using the man's momentum to down him. He scrambled fast, scooping his gun and feeling in control for the first time in long moments. With a grunt of his own, he body checked the man faced off against Kate and threw himself over her curled form, gun pointed firmly at the man's heart. She flinched under him, twisting, and for a half a moment he knew it was a very bad idea to cover someone with her fighting reflexes.

"Move and you die," hissed Gibbs, and Tony realized his boss had managed to pin his adversary face down. Somehow, despite his arm, his boss had wrestled both of the man's arms behind him, pinned firmly with a knee. Gibbs had freed his own knife, the tip flickering at a jugular vein. "One more move from any of you, and he dies."

Tony kept his gun trained on his mark, his eyes narrowed to hard green slits. He knew from the eyes staring into his that the man in front of him understood that the same applied to him. His finger caressed the trigger, exactly four pounds of pressure away from firing. It wouldn't be the last time he had to shoot someone, and Tony was angry enough right now that he would do it. He could feel Kate tremble under him, and he wished he had a half moment to reassure her.

"Stand down," the master sergeant barked to the man he had pinned, and the man nodded hard, slowly releasing the weapon and relinquishing it.

"Kate?" Gibbs called, his knife point still pressed against the vein as he finally risked a glance to his other agents.

"um... I think I'm... okay?" came her muffled reply as Tony slowly lifted himself up. He nodded toward the man he still had his weapon trained on. "On the ground, face down, nice and slow. Hands behind your back." Adrenalin was still surging, and he relaxed his grip a little, still ready to shoot if needed but keeping his head.

The man before him complied, and it seemed like every second took far too long before Tony had him down and handcuffed. "Stay down," came his order, his tone hard and uncompromising.

Across the room, the master sergeant had taken his belt and used it to tie up his own opponent. It was improvising, but the ties were secure.

Gibbs managed to get his own handcuffs onto the man under him, and he quickly holstered his own weapon. His brow was deeply furrowed, and Tony knew that every movement was agony, a hot poker throbbing into his shoulder.

Tony nodded to the master sergeant, making sure the man was in control of the subdued men before he found the phone that had clattered from the desk onto the floor. Adjusting the cord, he toyed with it a moment before finding a dial tone. Thankfully the number for base security was listed on the console.

Across the room, Gibbs was kneeling beside Kate, his good hand brushing back her bangs. "Katie? You okay?" there was that painful moment of hesitation in his voice, and from Tony's standpoint, Gibbs was oblivious to his own injuries.

Kate was pale and shaky, but she calmed a little when her hand curled around his forearm. "God, you're... L.J..." She reached for his side and barely brushed a finger at bright red. "We need a medic, _now_."

"For you," he agreed, keeping her still and not letting her get up, yet. Tony wondered if they should keep her there and wait for the corpsman, and he was glad that the men on the ground hadn't moved an inch, either, as the master sergeant started to rake them over the coals.

"You're _shot_," Kate objected, trying to reach for her husband's side and protesting when he tried to ease away her hand. "Tony, call in—"

"What the hell happened?" the master sergeant demanded again, pulling off the helmet from his attacker. "Frasier, you better have a damn good lawyer for shooting civilians!"

"I-it's paint, sir," the man stammered, his face pale enough to match Kate's. "This was our target. Capture and defend. I have my order, s-sir."

"_Paint_?" Gibbs echoed, reaching down to the substance and bringing it up to his nose. Red, but too red. And it didn't have the metallic tang of blood. "Get a corpsman in here, _now_."

Kate's hand squeezing on his forearm brought his attention back to her. "I'm okay."

"The hell you are," he grunted, biting the inside of his cheek when her hand slid feather-light along his injured arm.

"The hell _you_ are," she corrected.

"I want them to check you out. To be sure," he added the last words, his jaw locking against the emotion.

"They should probably check your shoulder first," she argued, reaching for the paint and testing it for herself, apparently needing to know it wasn't blood.

"MP's and corpsmen are on the way, Boss."

Gibbs nodded to the door. "Open it up, shouldn't take them long." He glared at the men. "All three of you better shut it now. DiNozzo, make sure they're split up."

"On it, boss," Tony murmured. crossed to the door and opened it up, leaning against the metal door and suddenly feeling tired. Various aches and pains were quickly making themselves known. Sometime later, when they got out of this place, he had a date with a hot bath and Epsom salts. Maybe even an ice bath and salts. It had been a while since he felt this whipped.

He wondered right now which would be better for these men—if he did the interviews or Gibbs. Tony was angry, angry and tired, and if the ache wasn't making him a little nauseous, he might have been hungry. Then again, pissed Gibbs was one thing… Pissed and injured Gibbs was a whole new beast. Someone had screwed up royally, and Tony was glad it wasn't him. Personally, he hoped it was Gibbs. Maybe followed by the master sergeant.

"MP, stand down!" came the call, and Tony straightened and raised his empty hands as they entered the hallway. "Four men, all subdued inside," he warned, not wanting anything like a repeat of the last minutes. "Agent Gibbs wants these men detained separately. He will need to interrogate them."

The man in lead swept the room with his gaze. "That Gibbs?" he asked, nodding toward the couple in the corner.

"Yeah," Tony answered before waving in the corpsmen. "Check her out first, Agent Todd over there."

They nodded, crouching down next to Kate and Gibbs and starting assessments. Tony stepped to the side, letting the MP's pull the men to their feet and take them on. None of the men would lift their heads to look at him as they passed. As the master sergeant passed, he waved the man over.

"I'm going to make sure they stay separated," the sergeant clarified.

"I need you to write up what happened," Tony answered. "We can handle the interviews on our end, then you'll get your shot." Across the room, he met his boss's gaze and saw the almost imperceptible nod of affirmation of this plan. Tony tried to catch a glimpse of Kate, but the corpsmen were still talking to her and evaluating her, while one brave medic attempted to coax Gibbs into letting him check for a concussion.

"Desk work," the sergeant scowled.

"Fastest way to get through this," Tony answered. "As much detail as you can get. We'll have another boatload of our own paperwork thanks to this."

"Sir?" called another corpsman as he approached.

Kate was sitting up now, resting with her back against the wall. She gave a tense smile, wincing a little when it pulled at the swelling at the corner of her mouth. All in all, she looked drained and uncertain.

The light made him blink in surprise, but Tony leaned against the desk and made himself stare into it. Around him, the room settled into a steady stream of questions and tending to minor bruises and contusions.

"DiNozzo, check on those three, meet us at the ER," Gibbs called finally as he was helped to his feet, his bad arm cradled by the good one. At his side, a corpsman was helping Kate up, the man's arm under her shoulders to make sure she was steady coming to her feet.

"On it, boss," he murmured, deciding to be smart enough to take the ibuprofen offered. Tony swallowed it dry, trying to take comfort in the fact that they were all walking out of here. He was ready to leave here altogether, get back to the Navy Yard, but that was going to have to wait a while longer.


	10. Chapter 10

_I own nothing. Like what you read? Leave a little note. Happy reading…_

Kate's eyes were closed, and she was in the comfortable place between sleep and awake when she heard the soft swish of the curtain being drawn back. She felt achy, but even the bumps and bruises and the irritation of the IV line couldn't bring her to move much beyond cracking her eyes open enough to register Tony joining them.

"Kate okay?" he asked in a hushed voice, offering a small smile when he saw she was awake.

"We're okay," she murmured, hand sliding to her belly and giving it a gentle rub. The entire wait for the corpsmen to arrive and then the ride to the hospital had been tense. She knew she had protected her middle, but she'd gotten jostled a lot during the fight. "He's …"

"Fine," Gibbs muttered from his seat nearby.

"_Ma'am, if you're ready, we'll move to the car outside. The hospital is just off base." The corpsman was on her right, her husband on her left, both helping her up._

_They moved slowly, but she still sucked in a quick breath when she felt light headed. For a half a moment, Kate was sure that Gibbs was going to insist on a gurney. "Got up too fast," she explained, giving his hand a squeeze as they managed to make it to the door and then to the car without further incident._

_In reality, Kate was still shaky but was calming until she'd slipped into the restroom for a moment and realized she was spotting. She flushed and faltered as the soap dispenser was sluggish. Moments later, she returned to the curtained off exam area to find her husband back from x-ray, the dislocated shoulder confirmed and finally getting treatment._

_Gibbs was biting his bottom lip and gave a loud groan as the doctor braced one hand against his shoulder, the other hand under his elbow. The sodden _click_ of his shoulder going back into the socket was enough to make Kate run for the small sink and gag. It was several minutes more as the doctor strapped Gibbs's arm into a sling and a nurse offered her some water before Kate shared her latest discovery._

_For once, she was worried that her husband might pass out. He went pale at her admission, and started to ask the remaining nurse why she was just standing there when they needed to check on Kate._

"_The doctor is getting the ultrasound machine," the nurse stammered, slipping out as Kate nodded for the woman to give them some privacy for a moment._

"_Katie?" he asked, pushing himself to his feet with his good arm and moving to the bed that he had occupied until they performed the reduction on his shoulder._

"_Yeah." Kate swallowed hard, feeling the tears that she couldn't blink back this time. "God, you're a wreck." She could feel the emotions boiling up again, hormone and stress driven, and if she didn't focus on something else for a few more moments, she was going to lose it. _

"_I'm gonna find that damn doctor," he ground out, but her hand stopped him, tugging him back to her side. _

_Squeezing his hand hard, her eyes met his. "I need you with me right now, L.J.."_

Even though the doctor had returned quickly, it felt like she didn't breathe until the cold gel was spread over her stomach and transducer slid into place. The solid thudding came through the speakers, and she sagged against Gibbs in relief. His thumb rubbed against her hand, letting her know he was as comforted as she was. Their kid was as sturdy as its parents and going strong.

"What's that for?" Tony was asking them, pointing to her IV line.

"To keep her hydrated. What about our suspects?" Gibbs asked tiredly, barely lifting his head from its resting place against the wall. He looked as exhausted as she felt, and she knew he had taken the worst of their fight. And had the worst injury with his shoulder. If she had her way, they would be home now and taking the week off to recover. "Sit rep, DiNozzo."

"Oh!" the senior field agent shook his head slightly, the command jogging his memory. He handed over a cup of coffee from the kiosk outside. "Here, boss."

"Caffeine's not gonna help your shoulder," Kate murmured, letting her head sink back into the thin hospital pillow. She had been in and out of light sleep for a good half hour now, and she wasn't up to fighting sleep again right now.

Tony glanced between them and when Gibbs gave him a hard look, he began speaking quickly. "The orders check out, boss. Like the man said, he was doing his job, orders to capture and defend the building we were in. It was a surprise drill to see how quickly they could respond to a threat on base, and for the team working it to practice recon. The building was supposed to be understaffed today. I have the weapons to go back to Abby, all the ammo was paint like that hit you."

"Statements?" Gibbs asked.

"Done, boss," Tony answered. "Master Sergeant finished his, I finished his interview."

"The one the Master Sergeant was talking to, he comes back with us and the evidence," Gibbs answered. "Once she's done with this, they should release us."

Kate grimaced a little, not looking forward to the long drive back when they were all feeling worse for wear. _Tough it up, Caitlin._ "Will all of it fit in the car?"

Gibbs shook his head slightly. "Not taking the car, Kate. We have a helo taking us out in about an hour. Evidence, our guy and the three of us. They'll get someone else to drive back the car."

She swallowed and tried to relax while she could, feeling anxious again at the prospect of flying in the helo. Something about that particular mode of transportation… she'd never cared for it. "I think I'll take that nausea shot right about now."

Her husband gave her a glance of sympathy. "Fastest way out of here. It was a quick lift back or the long drive."

Kate nodded. "I know. I'm gonna grab what I can of a nap while this finishes out." She shifted carefully onto her left side and let her eyes slip shut. The blanket shifting as it was pulled up to cover her shoulder was the last thing she remembered.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

Tony almost stopped short as he climbed down from the helo. Two dark blue cars were waiting, Ziva and McGee standing between them. He scooted aside, and clamped a hand on Lieutenant Frasier's shoulder. "To the car," he called, directing the man to the second car that Ziva was standing closer to.

Frasier nodded, falling into step quickly. He climbed into the backseat and quickly pulled on the seatbelt.

"Souvenir?" Ziva mused as she waited for Tony to toss his bag into the trunk.

"I'm sure McGeek kept you in the loop," he grunted, wincing as the lifting motion pulled at stiffened muscles. He shut the trunk and frowned deeper at the pair of Gibbses exiting the helo.

Neither Kate nor Leroy Jethro looked happy, and they were shooting each other twin glares, the words lost in the thudding of the chopper. His hand resting on her shoulder, urging her to crouch until they were well out of range of the blades. When he did let up, Tony was sure he hadn't seen Kate move away from him so quickly.

Personally, he was happy he didn't have to hear the words being exchanged. When Gibbs gestured roughly toward McGee and the car, Tony averted his gaze. The last thing he needed was his boss pissed at him for sticking his nose where it didn't belong. One did not mettle in the affairs of Gibbs and his women, not seriously anyway—at least not meddling and living to tell the tale.

"Lover's quarrel?" Ziva asked, opening the driver's side door.

"I don't want to know," Tony muttered, swiping the keys (of course she let him, he could only privately admit that if she had really wanted to drive, he never would have gotten within feet of the keys). He slid behind the wheel and waited for Ziva to slip in on the passenger's side.

Although she was wearing her sunglasses, he could tell she was squinting at Gibbs and Kate from the crinkle at the corner of her eye. "There are acting strangely, yes? Even for a married couple. Even for Gibbs and Kate, yes?"

"Yes," Tony sighed. The couple in question began to cross toward the cars, Gibbs shaking his head in an emphatic 'no' while Kate was nodding 'yes.' Gibbs jabbed in the direction of McGee, and Tony heard Ziva snicker beside him as a panicked look crossed the younger agent's face. "I'm hoping he waves us on soon."

"Wait… married? They're _married_?" Frasier asked from the backseat.

Tony glanced in the rear view mirror. "Yeah, he'll be glad to tell you all about it when he interviews you at the Yard. You should ask it him.."

The man swallowed hard.

Kate and Gibbs were crossing the tarmac now, neither looking very happy. He growled something at McGee, who quickly took their bags and handed off the keys. While Gibbs waved roughly at his senior field agent with his good arm, McGee stashed the gear and ducked into the backseat with his angry boss and Kate.

It was all the motivation the that Tony needed. "I'm glad I'm not you," he called to the man in the backseat before starting the car and following the boss back to headquarters. Oh this was going to be ugly. _As angry as he is right now, just wait til you find out that his wife, who you all attacked, is preggo with his kid. Oh that's gonna go over big._ He was ready to watch those fireworks, but only from the safety of observation. With very thick one way glass between him and the livid retired Marine.


	11. Chapter 11

_Happy reading all. I own nothing, and I might need some therapy if Gibbs doesn't make it through episode 200 tomorrow night. Sadly, I won't get to see it when it airs, but I'm already concerned. Please let him liiiiiive! In other news, on with the Kibbs, which lives forever here…well, sort of. They're in their own bit of rough patch right now…_

As much as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs thrived on conflict, he really did not like fighting with his wife. First of all, he had put up with his share of nagging and fighting over the years. He won nearly every argument with Ex-Wife 1, 2 & 3 by default. They would eventually tire of their own words, and then he would make some single line comment that ended the conversation. Occasionally it was followed up with 'bastard' tossed in a female tone. But he was the boulder, unmoving. Jack liked to remind him that even a boulder gets worn down in time. Thus far, he was still standing.

He couldn't remember many of his fights with Shannon. In all honesty, he probably idealized her a little, even though she would have hated that. If she was here right now, she'd have quite a few words for him. Shan would have liked Kate, and she would tell him that he deserved to feel as miserable as he did right now. He knew better than to fight with a pregnant woman, especially when the pregnant woman was also a Gibbs.

"_Two cars?" Kate shouted over the solid thud of the helicopter blades as she stepped carefully from it._

_His hand cupped the back of her head, urging her lower and ducking himself. "McGee's taking you home. Grab a shower, lunch, and nap."_

"_You're going back to the Navy Yard," she protested, glaring between the car and him, clearly not happy at his little maneuver. "I'm a field agent, and we have a job to do."_

"_You're my field agent, and I didn't ask, Kate," he argued back._

_Her teeth ground, and she finally stepped well past the blades and shrugged his hand away roughly as she jabbed empathically toward the cars. "I'm not a child. We take the same risks, and you're in worse shape than I am. If Ducky was here, he would sent you home."_

"_Duck isn't here, and I never said you were a child. But you're carrying _our _child."_

_That earned him the biggest glare yet, and he could swear her fingers were twitching with the urge to flip him off. "You're maimed. If you're going, I'm going. The director hasn't put me on desk duty, yet. Today was a freak thing, and I'm _fine_."_

The remaining moments of the fight went downhill from there, but she'd gotten what she wanted, taking shot gun. Climbing into the car wasn't much better. His shoulder was aching, and he knew he should be icing it down. In combat, he'd soldiered on through worse injuries, but in combat he had adrenalin. The fight with Kate only amped up his blood pressing, making it throb all the more. Pure stubbornness made him take the keys and ignore her objections to him at the wheel. McGee had wisely spent the entire ride back to the Navy Yard in silence.

He took the two ibuprofen he'd pilfered from Abby—Abby who had fussed and made him feel even more annoyed with her fretting—and swallowed them dry. File in hand, he threw open the door to Interview Room 3 and let it shut hard behind him.

"Sir," Frasier stammered, rising to his feet, his face pale. "I'm sorry, sir, we didn't know. I… we had our orders, and civilians weren't supposed to be in there, and your wife—"

He nodded his silver head toward the chair the man had stumbled out of. "Sit down."

"Sir, you have to believe me—"

"_Sit. Down. Now_," he ground out. "Start from the beginning, and don't leave anything out. Finish all this, and we'll see what I believe."

"Y-yes, sir," Frasier sank into the chair, his hands curling around the edge of the table. He looked up into the icy cold eyes boring into his, and quickly glanced to the right instead. "okay… Okay, uh, it started the other week. With our first drill. It was pretty basic, you know, get in, get out quick, clean extraction. It was hell, and we got reamed for it."

Gibbs leaned back in his chair, trying to find a comfortable spot that supported his shoulder but let him have support for his right hand as he took notes. "Run me through it. _All_ of it."

"Right, it started with some bunkers out back, we use 'em for combat training. They're in the east quadrant, sir. Hurley and I were first in—uh, that's McMannis, sir—and we cleared the room. It was supposed to go down with us in the front, Sigler and Vasquez through the side. We got ambushed, beat at our own game. We were taken down, it was set up and we fell for it. Didn't do our work up front."

Gibbs's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "That must've pissed you off, huh."

"Yes, sir. My team, my op. My screw up. After this morning, Master Sergeant's gonna—"

"Master Sergeant didn't set up the first drill, did he." It wasn't a question. He already knew the answer to that one. McGee had already found that answer before they stepped off the helo.

"No, sir. It was Major Halbrook."

His eyes grew hard. "Must have really pissed you off."

"I was angry with myself, sir. My lead, my responsibility. I owned up to that."

"Did you kill the major?"

Angry and hurt eyes lifted to meet's Gibbs's gaze. "No, sir."

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

She was tired, which wasn't going to go away until she got a full night's sleep in bed, but Kate was still pushing through it when she slipped into observation. Ziva and Tony gave her a nod, but Ducky stepped forward to meet her.

"Caitlin," he sighed like a father with an errant child. "Whatever shall I do with the two of you?"

"Patch us up, give us a cookie, and send us back to play," she answered, managing a smile that suddenly turned water when he hugged her gently to him.

His hands rubbed between her shoulders in comfort before he pulled back just enough to press an affectionate kiss to the top of her head. "Had a little scare, did you. Are you alright?"

She nodded hard, but lost the battle with her trembling lower lip. The tears welled up and spilled over before she could even catch her breath. Behind her, she could hear her husband's questions, and she could hear the tiredness and aches creeping into his words. She hated when they fought, and she knew they were both in the wrong on this one. Right now, she sort of wished she had given into his request and simply let McGee take her home. She could have been curled up in bed with a full stomach and wrapped in one of his hoodies—not a replacement for sleeping with his solid body spooned up behind her, but an acceptable and temporary substitute.

Instead she was in observation, crying like a three year old.

"Sssh, are you hurt?"

She shook her head no, words failing her for a moment. Kate became away, in a detached sort of way, that they weren't alone. There was the tech recording the interview, and Tony and Ziva. A tiny part of Kate wanted Tony to make some little comment just to make everything seem normal. And she wanted a reason to turn some of her hurt and tiredness into anger at him. It was easier to be angry than to deal with this. _Bet Rachael would have a field day with that one, Kate. It doesn't even take a call to her to tell you that's the real reason you fought with L.J._

With a quick breath, she wiped quickly at the tears, finally accepting Ducky's proffered handkerchief and dabbing until her face was dry.. She dabbed at her nose, and slipped the cloth into her pocket. "I'll send it back after laundry day."

"I know you will," their medical examiner replied, his thumb sliding just under the bruise on her right cheek. "Get some ice on this again later, hmm?"

Kate nodded, taking another slow breath and feeling like her world was coming back on a bit more of an even keel as she sank into a chair.

"And have a snack," Ducky left her with those final words, setting an apple on her palm and slipping from the room.


	12. Chapter 12

_Well, onward we go. Enjoy._

Gibbs resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair in frustration. Two hours of interrogation, rehashing the drills again and again, and they key points of Frasier's testimony held up. The lieutenant was telling the truth—or at least as much of the truth as he knew. Each time he answered the questions, the general events were consistent, and the details varied enough to ring true.

They were at a standstill until Abby could drum up some new questions or answers, or until McGee cracked something else on the computers. Gibbs stood, swiping the files together with one hand and lifting them. He was almost out the door when the nervous lieutenant stopped him.

"S-sir?"

He glanced back over his shoulder, cringing at the title. "Yeah?"

"Uh… could I use the head?"

Gibbs gave him a short stare before opening the door and nodding to the man stationed outside. "Guard'll escort you," he answered before leaving the room for good and making his way to the elevator.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal Kate holding a cup of coffee and a Caf-Pow.

Behind him, Gibbs sensed someone approaching. It was a file clerk from records, who caught one glimpse of the couple and detoured. Gibbs wasn't sure whether or not he found that amusing. Maybe later he would laugh about it. He stepped into the carriage and let the door slide shut behind him.

"Finished the interview?" she asked, her voice almost neutral. There was a little tiredness underneath, that made him want to order her home again. Which had gotten them into the mess in the first place.

He nodded, realizing that she had grabbed a shower and change of clothes since he had last seen her. Probably at the gym. Hopefully she'd gotten a chance to eat, too. He wondered if she had seen the orange he left at her desk. The silence settled a moment, and he attempted to adjust the sling.

Kate held up the coffee with one hand, using the back of her other to brush the stop switch.

"I can get it," he mumbled.

She set down the Caf-Pow and took the file from him, placing it in the floor also before she circled her husband. Her fingers traced the strap to the buckle, sliding it back a tiny bit and offering his arm more support. Kate gently smoothed his sleeve, careful not to put any pressure on his arm. "No, you can't get it," she sighed. Before he could object, she stepped in front of him and met his eyes. "You can't it for the same reason why I should have let McGee take me home."

He gave a small nod of agreement. Swallowing, he took a slow breath. "I wasn't playing favorites, Katie."

She gave a tight smile. "I think we always play favorites. Just a little bit. But I know you didn't mean to. That's what the coffee's for."

Gibbs lifted the cup, taking a small sip and relaxing a tinge as the liquid warmed him. "You're playing favorites with this," he murmured, chiding gently despite the little glimmer in his eye.

"I got Abby a Caf-Pow," she protested, her tone light.

"And nothing for DiNozzo."

"Or McGee," she tossed back. "See? I'm equal opportunity."

His arm slid around her, careful not to jostle the coffee and spill any on her as he pulled her close and dropped a kiss into her hair. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, lips moving against her head as he dropped another kiss there.

Kate nodded against him. "Yeah."

"You got a shower and a change… are you ready to tell Abby?"

She pulled back slightly, her hand wrapping around his good wrist. "I wasn't going to tell her without you. L.J., I swear, I wasn't—"

"Hey," he interrupted gently, hand pulling back to take hers in it, thumb rubbing over the back of her hand in quiet comfort, just as he had during the ultrasound this morning. This morning. God, it had been a long day. "I know, Katie."

Her dark head nodded, and her free hand toyed with the hem of her shirt for a moment. It was the one she had found just a week ago and snatched up, knowing exactly how to break their good news to their favorite lab rat. She was wearing a jacket over it, mostly concealing the shirt, but he had known as soon as he saw it what it meant.

"You still want to tell her today?" he pressed, wondering if maybe it would be better to wait. Abby had been upset to learn that he was injured and that Kate and Tony were a little roughed up. She'd hovered like a mother hen, and part of him wondered who was going to be worse about pestering Kate for the remaining months—him or one Abigail Scuito.

She shrugged. "Yeah… I think I do," she replied, shifting a little from one foot to the other. "I was ready to, but then everything happened, but…"

"But?"

"It makes a little more… official," Kate answered, her gaze dropping to their hands. "Telling Abby...Maybe we should wait? All the books said it's better to wait until the first trimester is over. Anything can happen… It… it almost did." It was her turn to swallow hard.

His hand gave hers the gentlest of squeezes. "Kate… anything can happen. Not just in the next couple of months, but any time after that. A few years from now, ten years from now, fifty years from now."

Water amber lifted to meet his eyes. "I didn't mean to open that up, L.J.," she apologized softly. "You're right…"

"If you want to wait a little longer, until we've both rested, that's okay. But we'll tell her when you're ready, and we'll keep going."

She pressed up onto her toes and gave him a soft kiss. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Always," he murmured, pulling her against him and letting her rest there for a long moment. His hand slipped from hers, sliding around to her back and rubbing it comfortingly, like he did when she was sick in the morning.

When Kate finally relaxed and pulled back again, one hand rubbed at the streaks. "What time is it?"

"Almost nineteen hundred," he answered. His hand lifted, thumb brushing feather-light under each eye to wipe the little bits of moisture remaining there. "Tell you what, I'll get DiNozzo to set up Frasier at the Navy Yard for the night, and then send the team home. We'll start fresh tomorrow."

She nodded. "I think that's a good idea," she murmured, giving him the first small smile he had seen all day. "You want to take the Caf-Pow to Abby, and I'll fill in everyone else?"

"Yeah." Gibbs traded the coffee for the Caf-Pow. "Take the file, and lock it in the cabinet. I'll meet you at the car in fifteen."

"Definitely," she answered, flipping the switch and riding down to let him off at the floor to the lab.

"Kate?" he called as he stepped out of the elevator, his hand slipping between the doors to keep it from shutting.

"Hmm?"

"Desk duty's here," Gibbs stated, knowing she wasn't going to like it, but after today could she blame him?

Her nose wrinkled. "Can I still go on some interviews?"

He hesitated, which he knew he shouldn't have. He should tell her no, and leave it at that. Really, Gibbs understood where she was coming from. None of them liked desk duty, whether it was because they were injured, sick, or anything else. But he wasn't risking his family. "We'll see. But I'm serious. Desk duty."

She nodded in understanding. "I know." There wasn't much else to say to that, he was simply glad to have things settling between them, to know they were heading home and to rest.


	13. Chapter 13

_To celebrate the day of love, I bring some Kibbness in all its loveliness. Hopefully this works because I'm having a frankly awful week at work, but I digress… Bits of fluff below. Like what you read? Make my Valentine's Day shiny and leave a comment. Spread a little love._

Kate Gibbs was busy fiddling with the coffee maker when her husband shuffled into the kitchen the following morning. With a smile over her shoulder, she pressed the 'brew' button. "Morning."

He silently held up a piece of paper with one hand, the same hand that had his sling dangling from it. His other arm was close to his chest.

She shrugged unapologetically. "You needed your rest."

_It was warm and comfortable where she lay, resting beside L.J. but not quite touching him. The absence of an arm around her made Kate wonder for a half a moment before she remembered his injury. In the gray light of almost dawn, she could see his chest rising slowly. Those pain meds she'd talked him into were doing their job._

_For several moments, she relaxed in bed before realizing that for the first time in weeks, she didn't feel nauseous. In fact, she felt rested, too. One hand slid to her belly, and she gave it a little rub. "Thanks for the break. Let's get going, hmm?"_

_Shifting carefully to not pull him from sleep, Kate slid from their bed and quietly slipped into the closet. Using the light of her PDA, she found sweat pants, shoes, socks, and his USMC hoodie. _

_She made her way into the bathroom, changing quietly before scribbling a quick note and taping it to the alarm._

"'Out for a jog, 2 miles. Leaving at 0515. Caitlin?" he asked, frowning a little.

Kate reached up for the to-go thermos she had bought him months ago. "After weeks of morning sickness, I wasn't stupid enough to try running. It was a jog... sort of a stroll sometimes. I had my phone, my gun, and it felt great."

He stepped forward, hand cupping her chin lightly, looking close at the bruise spread across her cheek. "Still sore?"

Her dark ponytail swung slightly as she shook her head no. "Looks ugly, feels a little tight, but I'm okay."

"Makes me want to beat up the bastard—"

"It was an accident," she soothed, head turning to press a kiss to his palm. Kate knew it upset him to think that anyone had laid a hand on her. She was sure it also upset him to think a neighbor or someone else might think he did it to her. Anyone who knew Leroy Jethro Gibbs would know that was a ridiculous thought, and she was glad that she wouldn't have to worry about anyone at work thinking such a thing. "It'll be ugly today, and start clearing up in a few days."

His head shook slightly, and he slid his good arm around her, trapping her playfully between the counter and his body. "Forget the bruise. You look great," he rumbled in her ear. It never failed to send a little shiver through her, and she could feel his silent chuckle. "Glad you're feeling better."

"Me, too," she answered, breath catching when he dropped a kiss just under her jaw.

"Smell good, too," he murmured, kisses wandering up to her ear, breath warm against it.

"L.J..."

"Hmmm?" His hand slid over her hip, giving a little tug on his hoodie to bring her closer yet.

"I'm gonna be ticked if you start that up. We don't have time today, and if you leave a mark," she growled, pushing him back a little, "Abby'll never let me live it down."

He went with the movement, letting her push him back enough to get an half inch between them. Bending forward, his lips claimed hers for a soft kiss. "Abbs just thinks you're too uptight about s-e-x."

She flushed and gave his hip a playful slap. "We're gonna be late."

"It'll go faster if we share a shower," he tried, giving her that wolfish grin.

"Won't," Kate asserted, fingers ruffling the barely damp strands of his hair. "Nice try. You already took your shower."

"I'm up for another."

She grabbed the sling and slid it around his shoulder, easing his arm into it and adjusting the buckle. Lithe fingers smoothed down the collar of his polo before she dropped a kiss to his cheek. "Don't quit your day job. I'm good to go in thirty," she called before leaving the kitchen and rushing to their room for a shower. Maybe a cold shower today.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

The music was palpable, a chaotic blend of heavy metal with just enough melody to be considered music when the Gibbses arrived in the lab. Already it was a flurry of activity, fingerprints running through AFIS and Abby in the middle of setting up some slides.

"Morning, Abbs," Gibbs called over the music, crossing the room and twisting down the volume. When she glanced at them with a wide smile, he quickly sent a message before getting the music to a softer tone.

"Hey, still a beginner here," Kate reminded them when they launched into a short conversation that was much too fast for her to follow.

"Sorry," Abby answered, fist curling against her chest, circling as she signed the word. "He says he'll be deaf by next week if I keep that up. Guess you have to learn faster, Kate."

Kate smile and toyed with her jacket, drawing out the moment a tiny bit longer.

"What d'ya got, Abbs?" Gibbs asked, nodding toward her machines whirring away.

"Prints are running. Found lots of Halbrook's prints, but it was his computer… AFIS'll get there, trust the process, oh Great One." The goth tossed her friend a grin. "If you can spare Kate, it would go faster."

He nodded. "Done."

Kate suspected it was a bit of convenient timing for him—a way to be sure she stayed out of harm's way for the day. They had had enough excitement to last a while, and she never minded schlepping for Abby. She exchanged a quick nod with her husband and slipped off her jacket, draping it over a nearby chair. Fingers tugged her shirt a little, and she turned to fully face their friend. "Got a spare lab coat?"

"Sure," came the bubbly reply, as Abby reached for a second coat, only to turn and drop it on the floor. "OhmyGod … Oh. My. God."

Kate grinned, glancing over to Gibbs, whose grin matched her own, his gaze flickering between the small curve of belly (which was a lot more noticeable in this more form fitting shirt, something that had fed into a few insecurities earlier this morning) and Abby. The shirt was black, featuring a white skeletal outline. It portrayed the sternum, rib cage, and down the back was a backbone and the back side of her ribs. But resting against her belly was a small little baby skeleton, curled as her own little one would be in a few more months.

Wide green eyes darted between the two. "Really?" she squeaked. "Like, really for reals?"

"Real as it gets," Gibbs confirmed, winking at his wife.

With a single bounce and an ear-piercing squeal, two arms banded tightly around Kate, squeezing her and bouncing again. "Oh my God, this is the best news _EVER_!" she shrieked.

"Easy," Gibbs warned, "Precious cargo." He gently pulled Abby back, accepting the hug from her.

"I can't believe it," Abby finally said, her excitement still bubbling but words failing her. "Hey little guy," she called, crouching in front of Kate's belly and rubbing it. "I'm your Auntie Abby, and I'm gonna teach you all the cool stuff. Oh, or little girl. You might be a girl… but anyway, I'll teach you all about music and forensics, and you'll have the cutest clothes and hair bows, and I'll take you to the fast food places your mom and dad won't, and let you get anything you want, but it's our secret."

Kate grinned at her friend.

"Abbs, go easy on the bows," Gibbs called. "At least until the kid decides if skulls are cool are not."

The goth straightened and poked his good shoulder. "Skulls are _always_ cool."

"Bows?" he asked, eyebrow arching.

"Hey, it's the twenty-first century, BossMan. Gender stereotyping is so twentieth. Someone needs to get in touch with his _feminine _side."

Gibbs shook his head. "Kate's feminine enough for me." He dropped a kiss into her hair. "Call me when you have something."

"Yes, my Silver Fox," Abby called with a mock salute and a wink.

He blushes, actually blushed and tried to wave off the comment. "Evidence. Investigation."

Ruby red lips turned up into a cheshire grin. "Oh come on, bask in the glory for another minute with me. This is big. It's _huge_. Not you, Kate, you barely have a bump, but the _news_! A Gibblet! A little Kibblet. It's gonna be so cute—don't roll your eyes at me, I've seen your baby pictures."

"When?" Gibbs asked, scowling.

"Jackson is very awkward around women, and I have my ways," Abby purred, giggling when a weird look crossed both Gibbs' faces. "Not like _that_. That's not a kink of mine… but I have my ways. And trust me, one cute kid is coming up." She turned to her friend. "You've been sick."

"Off and on," Kate admitted, nose wrinkling. "Ducky helped, though."

A little mischievous look crossed her features. "You know, when my friend, Raven, was pregnant, she had all kids of cravings. But it wasn't just food. The hormones released during pregnancy can have all kinds of awesome side affects. A lot of women find they have an increased desire—"

One hand pressed to her lips, and Gibbs leaned in close to her ear. "Abbs, evidence," he stated softly, seeing the dark blush crossing his wife's features.

The black pigtails bobbed as Abby nodded. "The more you know?" she pressed, barely hiding the grin with a serious stare to match the one being leveled in her direction. "Evidence. Got it. C'mon Kate and mini-Gibbs. We have work to do!"


	14. Chapter 14

_Well I have been stuck on this chapter because, frankly, it's getting hard to write and figure out where this story is going. So after most of the week sounding vaguely like Tony ala SWAK with the cough, I'm functional again… not sure where this story is going at all, beyond the inevitable part where eventually, yes, Kate has a baby. Could I vague that up a little? Feedback would be helpful because the plot bunnies are hiding._

_It was cold and dark, and every breath brought in more water. It surrounded her, claiming her. Her hand pressed against something solid, and she jerked in the other direction, body pressing against something equally solid, and full panic set in._

_Thrashing, she reached and kicked in every direction, trying to get away from the weight pressing on her. Her lungs burned, brain screaming for air. The pressure on her arm had her jerking away in further panic, body shoving another direction before something tugged hard._

_Her eyes strained to see through the murky haze, but it was useless. Without oxygen, she was helpless to fight the hold that was dragging her. Mercifully, the chill hit her skin, and it finally registered that she was surrounded by air again, only she couldn't get it _in_ her fast enough._

_Knees hit concrete, and her hand clawed at the solidness, eyes wide as she gulped uselessly. A hand was falling between her shoulders, a rough strike that made her body jerk reflexively, making her gag._

"Agent Todd!"

Kate jerked awake, losing her balance and nearly tumbling out of her chair. She pulled away from the hand on her shoulder, heart racing as she gasped loudly. Her stomach turned, and she barely held it in long enough for a trash can to be pressed into her hands.

She gagged and coughed, bringing up only a little bit of bile. The next two gags were merely dry heaves, and Kate curled her body forward, forearms resting on her knees.

A slender hand rubbed tentatively between her shoulder blades as she finally took in her surroundings. MTAC was dark, the screen showing a steady route of a convoy in one panel, a satellite map of the Middle East in another panel. Luckily the only people were two techs monitoring the screens and the Director.

The director who was rubbing her back and motioning for one of the techs to return her attention to the screen. "Agent Todd's fine," she reassured.

_Agent Todd._ It was common for her to still be referred to by her maiden name. In all honesty, it was less confusing, at least at work. One Gibbs was plenty at the Navy Yard. She rubbed a hand over her face and relaxed back into the chair, accepting the bottle of water offered to her. "Thanks."

"You okay, Kate?"

Kate swallowed a sip of water, wincing at the burn and little acidic tasted still left. Was she okay? She shivered, suddenly realizing how cool the room was, glad for the dark which allowed her a little more cover to try to get herself together. "Has he called?"

"No," Jenny answered quietly, almost apologetically. "You can go home for the night. There's nothing else pressing."

Her head shook slightly. The team had left on errands and interviews a few hours ago. After an hour and a half of helping Abby, Jenny had summoned her upstairs. She sat in on interviews and several conferences, taking notes and working up profiles. It was happening more and more these days, and she hoped it was a way to keep at a job she loved.

"We're finished for the night. I'm staying to monitor this for another hour or so, and then going home myself," Jenny urged again.

"Rode together," she explained, taking another sip of water and wishing it would wash away the vague burning still in her throat.

"He can call a cab. Or use the car they're in."

She shook her head. It was more than that. After that nightmare, she wanted to feel him nearby, get a hug. And she wasn't keen on the idea of going home to an empty house, much less an empty bed after that. "I can wait."

"Let me call Ducky," the director pressed. "Or Abby. Or the car service."

Kate gave a little sigh and took another swig of water. "I'll leave you to this," she finally said. "Thanks for keeping me on the MCRT."

Jenny's eyebrows lifted slightly. "You're a good agent, Kate."

"Doesn't mean you had to keep me," she countered.

"You'll be back in the field eventually," the director reminded her. "It's not even my rules so much as Gibbs."

Kate nodded absently, toying with her ring. _Back in the field._ It was something weighing on her more heavily these days. Now that most of their friends knew about the baby, reality was setting in. That she was going to be a mommy. Have a family. Be responsible in a whole new way for someone solely dependent on her. At least for nine months dependent on her. Then dependent on her and L.J.

Two parents as field agents. Were those risks fair to a kid? At this point, they had any number of enemies just from work. Even as much as others like Fornell tried to keep their children safe, there were risks. Threats. Maybe her field agent days were over. Before she'd even realized it.

L.J. She wouldn't want him to give up a job that so perfectly suited him. That was everything to him. He was so good at it, too. Before they were together, she couldn't imagine NCIS without him, or him without NCIS. The two were so seamlessly knit together.

She had missed the hushed phone call, so Kate was a little surprised when the door to MTAC admitted one Dr. Mallard.

"Have a good night," Jenny called quietly as the pair made their way out and to the bull pen below.

"Ducky, I'm fine, really," she insisted, smiling tiredly when he held her coat and helped her into it.

"I intend to keep you that way," he countered, handing over her hand bag. "Allow me to escort you home. I would invite you over, but I'm afraid mother in her predictably unpredictable ways might draw the wrong conclusion." He patted her hand. "Let an old man enjoy his last opportunities to be the gentleman, Caitlin."

She relented, threading her arm through the crook of his elbow and letting him escort her to his Morgan. Supper was a light round of soup, crackers, and warm tea, all of which went down comfortably. Kate adamantly resisted his urging to retire upstairs, finally drifting off to sleep in the midst of his insistence that he stay.

Kate hardly remembered being urged upstairs by a strong arm or the moments when she was tucked under warm covers. All she knew was the heartbeat thudding steadily under her ear when she woke briefly, quickly surrendering to real rest again, giving a fleeting moment of thanks that the nightmare stayed at bay.


	15. Chapter 15

_Crazy week, but hope you enjoy some Gibbs world, including some sadness. Reviews are really appreciated and helpful. Feeling my way back into this story…_

He was missing something, and Gibbs hated knowing that he was missing something. That a suspect had out maneuvered him, no matter how temporarily. That he someone could play him. Picking up the pencil, he measured out the length and made the appropriate notches before setting side the writing instrument and measure a second time to be certain. Careful. Methodical.

It was second nature to him, and it usually focused his thoughts. As a kid, he had always liked jigsaw puzzles. Jack claimed he was a happy child, and he remembered some happiness in his childhood. But his teen years had been rocky, and he had turned angry, sometimes sullen, and introverted. At least more introverted than before. When he had really wanted a challenge, he would turn the puzzle pieces over, to flat brown, and work them. Eventually it had given way to cars and car parts, merely a bigger, more complicated puzzle. Like boat building. Or crime investigation.

The senior MCRT leader reached for a chisel and marked the notches he needed, brow wrinkling as he squinted at the line he had drawn.

It wasn't only the case that was bothering him. Kate was off, too, and he couldn't place it. While her morning sickness was easing off, she hadn't slept well for two nights. He remembered that she once said she'd never had nightmares. That had changed after Ari took her hostage in autopsy, leading to several bad dreams where she was locked in the cadaver storage and couldn't escape. Last night, her nightmare had started with a reliving of her almost drowning in the fountain at Jenny's home when a terrorist stalked her a few years ago, which morphed into the baby drowning.

That particular nightmare was the worst. It was the first time she had ever dreamed about their baby being harmed.

_He woke when he felt something, someone flailing beside him. Arms pushed, the body writhed, and Gibbs reached for the bedside lamp. Beside him, his wife fought and kicked, frantically mumbling something he couldn't make out._

"_Kate? Katie?" he pressed, trying to reach in and touch her shoulder, rub her back, _something_ to assure her. Didn't people say not to wake someone from a nightmare? "Kate?"_

_Gibbs shifted, keeping his sore shoulder as still as he could while he attempted to reach through whatever it was that was causing her to react so violently. "Sssh, Kate. Wake up. It's just a dream… Kate!"_

_She whimpered something this time, a low keening following that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. One hand flailed before clamping onto his forearm so hard that he had a dark dusting of a bruise the next morning. Kate pulled her body toward it, curling inward and keening again before breaking into sobs._

_As her body calmed slightly, he used the moment to draw her closer. He felt the pull against his bad shoulder, but ignored it as he gathered her as near as possible. "Katie," he murmured into her dark hair. "Sssh, it's okay… you're okay."_

_He felt her jerk hard against him, letting him know the moment she woke. Her body tensed, and she pushed out of reflex before clamping onto his arm and letting herself be drawn against him yet again. _

It had taken a good ten minutes or more for her to calm down enough to talk. The first time she tried to explain, the words had caught in her throat, leaving her coughing and sobbing again. Kate's voice was hoarse and raspy when she finally managed to explain, sniffling messily against his chest as he held her and cried with her until she calmed again.

Neither of them felt like sleeping after that, although she eventually drifted into a fitful sleep for a few hours. He held her against him, stroking through tangled hair, rubbing her back and listening closely for the slightest sound of upset.

He'd told Ducky about it the next day, somber and irritable from lack of sleep, but more upset about the strain on his wife. The doctor's best analysis was that the danger at the base was an underlying cause, along with the usual mess of hormones released throughout pregnancy. Ducky suggested a warm bath or shower before bed, something soothing like a back rub for Kate, and anything else that relaxed her, such as calming music or a foot rub. He'd made Gibbs promise to let him know if this continued. Like the agent had plans to do otherwise.

The stab of pain brought him back to the present, and Gibbs realized he had slid his hand over an unfinished edge. A splinter was imbedded into his skin. Perfect. Because he could use something else under his skin right now. With a grunt of a curse word, he bit the end of it, tugging it loose and fumbling toward the first aid kit Kate had tucked into a corner a year or so before. Using his teeth, and carefully maneuvering his bad arm, he got it open and slapped it on until the small opening could clot over.

Behind him, his phone rang insistently. Maybe DiNozzo and David finally found something, or maybe McGee had hacked his way into the computer program thing he was working on. The ring tone definitely wasn't Kate—she'd programmed his so he always knew when it was her.

With any luck she was crashed at her desk or in the conference room. He should probably get back to the office soon anyway. Surely his agents would have _some_ sort of update.

_Jack._

He flipped it open with one hand. "Dad?"

"Hey, Leroy. Busy?"

Gibbs shrugged, even though he knew his father couldn't see the gesture. "Got a minute. You okay?"

"I'm just fine. We've had pretty nice weather up here. How about you, are you okay?"

"Tough case," he admitted succinctly. "What do you need?"

"A father has to need something to call his son?" Jackson prodded, albeit his tone lighter than it first would be when they were working on repairing this relationship, a few years back. Gibbs let him go on for a few moments before interrupting.

"Okay… but you called _me_."

Jack sighed. "Just seeing what your plans are for Thanksgiving. Unless you're heading to visit Kate's family this year? I haven't heard from her in few weeks, and we haven't had a chance to talk about it."

Gibbs crossed the basement and settled onto a stool. Last year they had worked the holiday, and Christmas day, too. Both had understood what their job meant, but he felt the urge to take advantage of these last holidays before their kid joined the scene. In all honesty, he had considered a few days in Mexico, maybe for New Year's. Maybe a change of scenery would do them both a little good. "Thanksgiving… I don't think her family's gonna make any of the holidays. Rachel probably won't make it. We ran up there this summer."

His wife, although she kept in touch with her family, wasn't extremely close to them. Her parents had grown accustomed to Kate at irregular holidays, first from her Secret Service job and then at NCIS. "We could make it up for the weekend. Thanksgiving. You should visit. Soon."

Jack was going to kill him when he found out he was going to be a grandfather in about six months and they hadn't bothered to mention it… Maybe the sight of pregnant Kate would hold off some of that wrath. Yeah, he was definitely waiting until Jack could make it down to spring that surprise on him. It wasn't that they didn't want him to know. They both agreed to wait to tell anyone else until she hit at least six weeks, and the last two they were both so busy. Time had gotten away from them.

Just the other night she had finally let her family know, by phone. It was a mostly positive call, but Gibbs still felt a little uneasiness from her parents. They stumbled over the age gap in his relationship with Kate. While he didn't hold it against them, he knew it made Kate feel frustrated. It wasn't that they couldn't see around the age factor, but it was difficult for them to do so. He'd coaxed her into a warm bath and left a book she was reading, which provided enough distraction to get her mind off of it for the night.

"What about next weekend? I could give the store a rest for a few days."

"Good, next weekend."

"Is Kate around?" Jack asked, his voice slightly tinged with suspicion.

"No, she's working on another project. I'll tell her you called."

"Take care, son. I know you're busy."

He almost smiled. "You, too." With a small sigh and a scowl at the bandaid on his hand, Gibbs quickly shed his old NIS shirt and slipped back into the undershirt and polo before grabbing his jacket, cell phone, and heading back to the Navy Yard. His team better have some answers.


	16. Chapter 16

_I own nothing... the plot continues..._

Gibbs strode quickly from the elevator, taking only a few strides before he reached his team. "Talk!" he ordered, sharp blue eyes sweeping his team.

"Probie's back-tracing the order and emails. Something's off, boss, we just can't figure out what—" Tony began before straightening a little in his chair and flipping through the files in front of him. "We will… we _are_ figuring out what. Our two guys who busted in on us and left you with that souvenir," he added, nodding toward his boss's sling, "were your average GI's. They followed orders, didn't question, took it at face value. We've looked through everything on those two, nothing sticks. It's not them."

The grayed head shook. "No, it's not. But we knew that yesterday," he answered, jaw clenching in frustration. "Financials?"

"Abby's working on it," Ziva answered smoothly, marking something off of the list before her. "I have traced traveling plans, and the like, but have not yet found anything."

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs asked scowling more by the moment. This was _not_ what he had been expecting, and he was going to be royally pissed if they were still on this case by the time his father visited in a few days.

"The lab," both DiNozzo and David answered in chorus.

He turned smoothly on his heel and charged for the elevator, slipping past a clerk with practiced ease.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

Abby's boot tapped dully in time to the bass. Her music was going, but it was much, much softer than usual. Only a vague whisper of electronica coming from the speakers as she prepped another set of samples. A glance over her shoulder told her that her fingerprints were still running, and McGee was still lost in the laptop.

"_Abby? Abby, can you help me with—"_

"_Ssssh!" she shushed him loudly, seeming to suddenly materialize at the door in the way that made him jump and almost drop his armful of evidence. Abby took the evidence carton quickly, and nodded him inside. "Quiet, Timmy."_

_He scowled at her and looked around cautiously, as though he expected to find something important or curious. "It's… really quiet," he observed in a hushed voice._

"_And it better stay that way," she threatened, leveling him with her sharp gaze. "Got it?"_

"_I'm quiet," he insisted, shoes squeaking slightly and making both of them wince._

"_I swear, if you wake her up, I'm gonna kick you out and tell Gibbs," Abby hissed, carefully settling the carton on the table so as not to make noise._

"_Who?" he asked insistently, wincing when she glared at him._

"_Kate," she answered, nodding toward the back half of the lab, to her office where the glass door was shut._

_He stepped around one of the large stainless steel tables and glanced around, finally spotting the figure curled up on the futon, her head cushioned by Burt. "What's wrong with her?"_

"_Nothing's wrong, she's sleeping," Abby answered, initialing the chain of evidence and opening some packets. "And she better _stay_ sleeping."_

"_But what's wrong with her?" he pressed, brow still furrowed._

_Her eyes narrowed, head tilting slightly. "For a guy with a biomedical degree from Johns Hopkins, you can be pretty dense, McGee." She'd left him to gape and glance between her and the sleeping Kate before he decided that one mystery was enough for now and opted to get busy on the one that was more likely to earn him some glares and head slaps from his boss if he didn't get to work._

The soft sound of the sliding door caught her attention, and Abby turned to see her best friend emerge from the darker part of the lab. Kate's fingers were sliding through her sleep mussed hair, combing it back into a low ponytail. "Thanks for the futon."

Green eyes sparkled, and she smiled, glad to see her friend looking a little more rested than she had lately. "Any time. You don't even have to ask."

Both women turned slightly, regarding the junior agent in the room who was looking up at them with a confused look on his face.

"Looks like Timmy has something to ask," Abby observed, barely containing her mischievous smile.

Tim swallowed and glanced between them, eyes guarded as he tried to feel out whether that was a trick comment or not.

Kate's jaw set, and she crossed her arms over her chest, hugging the slightly baggy top to her slender frame. It settled lightly against her belly, the curve a delightful discovery to the goth when the news was revealed to her the day before. Personally, she thought Kate looked adoreable, and she couldn't wait until that tummy grew with her baby niece or nephew. Right now, Kate was doing all she could not to smile and give anything away. Her expression settled right on smug. "Tim?" she asked, eyebrow quirking.

"Uh…." He trailed off, squirming. "Shouldn't… shouldn't we keep looking at evidence?"

"Spill it, McGee. You're creeping out Kate," Abby accused, enjoying herself a little too much.

The figure in the doorway was pausing, not missing a moment of this and letting the awkwardness stretch out.

"I thought, um… Kate… it was weird, you taking a nap… but I guess… I guess if you were tired," the youngest field agent grasped for straws, floundering.

"Tell me you got something, McGee," Gibbs finally growled, stepping fully into the room and making McGee jump slightly and nod hard.

"Y-yeah, boss," he stammered, swallowing hard and risking another glance between Mr & Mrs. Gibbs. "I, uh, I'm not sure, yet what, but it's… I'm working on it. Looks promising. I'm seeing withdrawls in steady increments over a few months. Odd amounts, but similar. I think he was embezzling."

"Something rotten," Abby observed gravely, eyes going a little wide when she caught the stern look that her boss tossed in her direction. "And, back to fingerprints," she quickly recovered, turning back to her search.

Kate crossed the room, eyes traveling over the evidence piled on the table. She pulled out a glove and opened up a bag and then a second before taking a half step back, nose wrinkling. "Do you smell that?"

Abby and Gibbs stepped in, both sniffing lightly and shaking their heads.

Kate coughed and quickly sealed the second bag, holding it at arm's length as though it was . "This."

"What is it?" Gibbs pressed, taking the bag and sniffing. "Some… cologne, maybe?"

His wife nodded. "It's all I can smell over here, smells too… I don't know. Too something," she swallowed, taking a step back. "Whose clothes are those?"

"Holbrooke's," Abby answered immediately. "Why?"

"The Master Sergeant wears that kind of cologne. I remember, it's all I could smell in that room on base. Before I could really get sick of it, those other two stormed in," Kate explained, nose wrinkling at the memory.

"Good work, Captain," Gibbs murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "McGee, get to work on purchases, see if you can identify cologne purchases the Master Sergeant made recently. Abs, we need a chemical breakdown. See if you can give him an idea of what he's looking for."

"On it," McGee piped up, fingers flying before the orders had fully left their boss's mouth.

"Anything for you," Abby answered, pulling open the bag and moving it across the room. She doubted Kate would be there much longer if her nose was this sensitive.

The silver head nodded toward the door as he handed over a bottle of water. Just before the threshold, he turned back. "McGee?"

"Yeah, boss?" came the reply, fingers still clacking furiously at keys for a moment before the youngest agent looked up in confusion again.

"When it comes to pregnant women, you probably don't wanna know," Gibbs answered dryly, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. His hand twined with Kate's as he gently tugged her from the lab. "You have an hour to find something," he added airly, leaving the agent sputtering in surprise and Abby's giggle behind him.


	17. Chapter 17

_Hope you enjoy. Work is chaotic right now, so I'm writing in the little free time I have. Reviews are so appreciated, and thanks to the faithful of you who are so kind to leave them. This has another chapter, maybe 2 at most coming up. The last will be a bit of fluff, Kibbs-style. _

Sharp blue eyes surveyed the lounge, narrowing as they settled on the man at the ticket counter. He watched the brief conversation, stepping back to let a family go by, before sliding around the far side of the lounge area and having a conversation of his own. A few words, a flash of his badge, and nod to his back up, and he was allowed on the plane.

Attendants were quickly picking up the remaining debris from the previous flight and restocking the drinks and meals. He made his way toward the back, taking a seat and enjoying a few sips of his coffee.

It was amazing, really, what McGee and Abby could do with a single lap top and a few pieces of forensics. Not to mention electronic trails. About now, Ziva and McGee would be picking up Elizabeth Halbrook.

"Sir, they're about to begin boarding," the attendant called to him as he took a final sip from his coffee cup.

A single hidden bank account, it was a rookie's mistake. Not only was Master Sergeant Addams embezzling from Uncle Sam, he hadn't bothered to spread it out. Everything was linked to him, and only slightly more cleverly hidden were the links to Major Halbrook's wife. Base politics were nothing new to Gibbs—he knew first hand how nasty it could be. He could only imagine what the uproar would be from his one. The major's wife involved with the Master Sergeant.

First class was boarding, and those who needed extra assistance. Gibbs winced a little at the shriek from an infant, feeling sorry for the young, tired looking mother attempting to shush the child. He rose, taking the woman's larger carry on and managing to stowing it above the seat for using his good arm.

"Thanks," she murmured, grimacing as the baby howled again. The woman gave a little sigh before settling into her seat and digging out a bottle. It took her a few moments to shift the baby and get it to calm enough to take its meal. "I hope he sleeps soon. I don't think anyone's going to appreciate it."

Gibbs shrugged. "Can't control a baby, but it looks like you have it covered." His gaze flickered to the front of the aircraft, watching as a few more with special needs were boarding.

She gave a tentative smile. "He's five months old, and I still feel like I don't have a clue what I'm doing."

He flashed her a sympathetic smile. "That feeling won't go away."

"You have kids?" she asked, shifting the baby slightly.

Gibbs paused a moment, before taking the simpler route. "That's what everyone says—the feeling, it never goes away. My wife's almost to her second trimester."

The woman's eyebrows lifted in surprise, but she merely held the bottle steady as her child began to drink greedily. "Congratulations."

A nod was his acceptance. "Thanks. Sorry, if you'll excuse me…" He slipped into the seat again, settling down as the plan began boarding in earnest. It was a mess of people, searching for seats, stowing gear, until finally his target slid into the row in front of him.

Gibbs paused a few moments more for several others to settle before he slipped into the aisle and stepped up a row. He leaned in, finger curling. "Master Sergeant," he called in a low voice.

The man startled so badly that Gibbs almost cursed, hoping he wasn't going to have to fill out an IA report over someone having a heart attack while being arrested. "You're not going to make the flight," he added, giving a curt nod toward the front of the plane.

"Excuse me?" the Master Sergeant spoke, his eyes darting nervously between Gibbs and the exit. There were no exit options.

Gibbs nodded toward the front. "Come on," he pressed, nodding toward the front exit.

The Master Sergeant Addams licked his lips nervously, eyes flickering between exits again. "Were you talking to me?"

Gibbs held back most of his smile, only the corner of his mouth twitching up ever so slightly. "You've boarded the wrong flight," he pressed, stepping back just enough to allow the man sitting on the aisle seat to stand and move back. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

In his younger days, he might have hoped Addams would choose hard. There was a certain thrill in the chase, the satisfaction of bringing a man down. DiNozzo would be all over it- so long as the younger agent's suit wasn't torn in the process. Right now, though, Gibbs preferred easy. He was already a little more than irritated that this man's mess was keeping him from an evening with his wife.

_"Gibbs!" she exclaimed as she saw him gathering his go bag. "Where are you going?"_

_"Back to the base.. We've got him. I'll be home later," he promised, giving her cheek a quick peck as DiNozzo and McGee scuttled around them and pretended not to notice._

_Her hand caught his wrist, stopping him. "Your father is coming _in _two days, and the house is a wreck!"_

_It was ridiculous, and he silently chalked this one up under 'pregnant.' It was ridiculous for several reasons, not the least of which were: 1. They were so rarely home this week, they hadn't had time to leave any messes. 2. They both tended to pick up and put things away immediately- clothes in the hampers or back to hangers and the like. 3. Although the dry cleaning was probably stacking up, it was in bags. 4. They hadn't cooked at home in four days, and consequently there were no dishes or leftovers to deal with. "It's not that bad, and I'll help you tomorrow," he promised, having already cleared his team for the weekend once the paperwork was wrapped up._

_"But-" she started to protest, coloring slightly when she realized they had an audience. Even though DiNozzo was pointedly _trying _not to overhear this time, he couldn't help but hear them. _

_Gibbs tossed the keys to his senior field agent. "Meet you out front in five."_

_Both men quickly made their exits as he turned and rested his hands lightly on his wife's shoulders. "Katie, it'll be fine. Call up the cleaning service we've used a few times, and don't worry about it. I'll help you make up the bed in the guest room tonight, and we'll go by the grocery store tomorrow afternoon to stock up."_

_She'd sighed softly and nodded. "Um... guess I went a little crazy."_

_"Happens," he replied with a grin, blocking her playful slap to his gut._

The man pressed his lips together then gave a small nod before standing and making his way into the aisle. He began a steady walk as everyone else finally settled into their assigned seats.

"Nice and slow, just like that," Gibbs murmured behind him. "You have the right to remain silent," he spoke quietly, voice just loud enough to have a few witnesses but quiet enough to go unheeded by most of the plane. The attendants gave him a respectful nod as they made their way back toward the jet bridge. Once they exited the plane fully, he explained the charges.

At the angle in the jet bridge, it all changed. He'd expected it, really, but Gibbs could only shake his head in disgust. No one could say he hadn't tried this time. The Master Sergeant took off running, spotting the crowds of a plane just arriving, and no doubt expecting he could get lost in it.

"DiNozzo, he's yours. McGee, back him up," Gibbs sighed into his cuff mic before strolling along the ramp and arriving to find their man on the ground and cuffed. "Haul 'em up. We'll grab a ride out to the hangers, then back to D.C." He scowled at the man who had turned red in indignation. "Save it. You just made my night longer and added on paperwork."

Addams swallowed hard and his head ducked, suddenly aware of the attention they were receiving.

Twenty feet down the terminal, and his phone rang. He wasn't looking forward to telling Kate that he was going to be later. For that matter, he wasn't looking forward to sticking around work later. The name on the screen made him pause. _Ziva._ He flipped it open, "Yeah?"

"Gibbs, metro police have called us. Elizabeth Halbrook did not come into work yesterday afternoon. Her co-worker finally became concerned. When she could not get in and could not reach her, despite her automobile in front of her home, she contacted police. We have another victim."

"On our way back. Get the body released to Ducky, grab another team and make sure you don't miss anything." He closed the phone with a click and swore loudly, eyes narrowing at the Master Sergeant.

"Boss?" McGee asked uncertainly. "Everything okay?"

Tony glared at their junior agent, and Gibbs was almost certain that if they both hadn't had their hands around Addams's upper arms, Tony would have head-slapped McGee.

"No, it's not," Gibbs ground out. "More trouble."


	18. Chapter 18

_Well the last chapter is evidence of why I shouldn't be writing late at night when I'm zoning. McGee was with Gibbs & Tony, obviously. At some point I'll republish the last chapter to correct McGee supposedly being with the boys and with Ziva simultaneously… Onward we go…_

Kate Gibbs stood against the back wall of observation, arms wrapped around herself. She wasn't really sure how long she had been standing there when she realized she was unconsciously rubbing her hand over and over her belly. It was a soothing gesture, an attempt to find comfort.

Despite working at NCIS for nearly five years now, she still couldn't understand what caused people to murder. How money or anger or revenge could bring someone to take a life. And it was one thing when someone murdered an adult. Worse yet when it was a child. Horrifying when it was an unborn child. She shivered and let her thumb stroke over the tiny bulge. Swearing to herself that she would shoot anyone at point blank if they tried to lay on a finger on her kid. The sudden surge of protectiveness left her slightly breathless.

Before her, on the other side of the one-way mirror was Master Sergeant Addams. Forty one years old. Respected by the men he trained. And now he was charged with the murder of Major Halbrook, and suspected of murdering Elizabeth Halbrook and her unborn child.

Addams's brow was deeply furrowed, eyes guarded as they darted between the door and the giant mirror that allowed her to see him without affording him the same luxury. In fact, he didn't know who, if anyone, was on the other side.

When the door to interview opened suddenly, the Master Sergeant started, making Kate almost smile. Almost.

Tony entered, closing the door perfunctorily behind him before he stalked slowly around the man, lingering behind him before finishing the circle and taking his seat. It was a move meant to unsettle the object of their interview. And it was working.

"I have the right to remain silent," the man growled, his arms crossing tightly over his chest. It was a blatantly defensive gesture, and it didn't escape Kate's notice that he didn't make eye contact with Tony.

"Yeah, you do," Tony agreed, toying with the file folder in front of him. He slid it around, the lifted it on one end, stacking it neatly. The sound was unnaturally loud in the quiet room. "you have the right to remain silent, but I don't think Elizabeth Halbrook wants to be silent anymore."

At the name, Addams stiffened, shifting uncomfortably. "Why? What did she say?"

The door to interview opened abruptly, making Addams startle as Gibbs entered, his eyes narrowed in anger. Apparently he wasn't going to let Tony soften up their suspect for long. He was going for double team, wrap it up fast, pressure. Addams's jaw jumped.

"She didn't have to say much," Gibbs ground out. "A picture's worth a thousand words."

"A thousand or more. These sure say a lot," Tony agreed, pulling two from the folder and casually tossing them on the table. "And this," he added, pulling out another and slamming it down on the table hard enough to make a deep thus, "This says everything."

Kate deliberately avoided seeing the actual photographs. The night before she had joined the crime scene to help Ziva, Palmer, Ducky and the hastily assembled members from another team who joined them. She nearly contaminated the body when the scent of blood got to her. Even just thinking of it this much had her stomach twisting in memory. Ziva had calmly shoved an evidence bag into place just in time, and Palmer escorted her away once she could stand again. She'd spent the rest of her time interviewing the friend who called it in.

Now, her husband was pacing behind the Master Sergeant, reminding her of a caged panther. "You're going to have a very long time to think about things. Leavenworth's no military base. How long? Well, that's the question, isn't it."

Addams's jaw clenched again, his scowl deepening, arms crossing tighter across his chest.

He was the one who had murdered Elizabeth Halbrook, Kate was sure of it. If he hadn't, he would be denying it right now. He would have said something anything. The silence was deafening.

Gibbs looked up, his gaze going straight through the glass. His eyes met Kate's and her breath caught at the intensity. That he seemed to know exactly where she would be standing. He knew, too.

"Juries don't like it when a suspect shuts up. Makes 'em look guilty," Tony taunted, pulling out more pictures and slapping each one down randomly, a gruesome collage covering the table. "Looks bad."

Addams shook his head only slightly, gaze flickering down to the table before resolutely looking away."

"What you need to remember," Gibbs growled, bending over behind the Master Sergeant, his mouth an inch from the man's ear, "Is that we'll find the truth. You left a nice string of evidence for us. But don't expect me to thank you for it. But I guess you weren't worried about that when you were boarding that plane for Canada."

The man twitched again, hands clenching, mouth resolutely closed.

"Transport's waiting. MP's outside'll escort him," her husband finally said. "Enjoy Leavenworth."

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

"Hey, dad. How was the drive?"

The voices pulled Kate from her nap, making her push up from the couch and stare around for a moment. She had been in deep sleep, and struggled to shake the detached feeling that lingered. One hand brushed back her hair, the other fluffed the pillow she had been using. Once she had it back in its place on the couch, she folded the blanket that her husband had draped over her.

"The drive was fine," Jackson answered, entering the house and rounding the entry into the livingroom. "Looks like it might snow this—" He came to a sudden stop, catching sight of Kate pushing to her feet.

She was caught flat-footed, draping the blanket over the back of the couch. After work she had changed into a new pair of maternity jeans and a soft sweater that hugged her curves. Kate straightened with a hopeful smile, hand straying to her hip and resting against her belly. "Hi, Jack."

He handed over his suitcase and stepped forward. His arms wrapped gently around her, pulling her into a hug as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Well, don't you look beautiful."

Kate blushed and laughed softly, hugging him back. "Charmer," she teased, arms squeezing lightly.

Jackson slowly pulled back, smiling down at her belly again as if to confirm what he had seen. "You're glowing." As she blushed again, he glanced over his shoulder. "Keeping secrets again, Leroy?"

Gibbs laughed, settling the suitcase against the wall and coming to join them. "Surprise?" he asked dryly.

"Katie, is he treating you alright?" Jackson asked seriously, his eye twinkling.

"He owes me a backrub, but otherwise, yeah," she tossed back, giving her husband a wink. "But we might have a problem if he doesn't feed us soon."

"I wasn't the one snoring on the couch for the last hour," Gibbs growled playfully, dropping a kiss to Kate's head and taking her hand, gently tugging her toward the kitchen. "Dinner's ready."

_Well, I got one more chapter to this, it may be short and it's mostly fluff. Hope you're all enjoying. _


	19. Chapter 19

_Last chapter in this fic, hope you all are enjoying. I'll probably write more at some point, but no promises about when that's going to start. My personal life is crazy and crazier these days, so my focus hasn't been all there. Sometimes I feel like this fic didn't get all of the attention it deserved, but I've still been pretty happy with how it turned out. Feedback = love. Thanks to all of you who so often review. It's very sweet. A bit of fluff with a little seriousness and angst hurt/comfort to wrap it all up in a last bit of fluff. Clear as mud? Good. Carry on..._

Gibbs exhaled slowly as the soft palms dug slowly into his lower back, coaxing loose the muscles, drawing out the tension. His father had left in the late afternoon, allowing him to enjoy the rest of the evening with Kate. After dinner, she had coaxed him upstairs with the promise of a nice long back rub.

For the last fifteen minutes or more, she'd made good on that promise. He was sprawled across their bed, stripped down to his boxers, Kate straddling his lower back as she worked steadily. It was a comfortable warmth and weight, her hands skillful as they worked.

As the moments ticked on, he became aware of the quiet in the room, the way her hands were slowing. Although she was careful to avoid his recovering shoulder, she was hesitating over something else. "Kate?" he asked softly, head turning slightly.

"Hmmm?"

"What's wrong?"

Her hand slid up his back, on either side of his spin. She gave a soft sigh and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his bad shoulder. "Wondering what happened with Addams. Why someone would…"

"Jealousy," he answered, scowling in the covers and hating this, hating that a man like that could unsettle his wife. Especially right now, when they should be free to enjoy these months preparing to be parents. "He said she told him it was Halbrook's, and he said he couldn't stand the thought of her raising another man's kid."

Kate didn't say anything to that, and he reached back, finding her arm and wrapping his hand around her forearm.

"Katie?"

"Hmm?" she asked, and the small catch in her voice made him urge her to let up a little.

Gibbs rolled onto his back, easing her back down, this time straddled across his stomach. His hand lifted, thumb running along her cheek and sliding lightly under her eyes, hand cupping her cheek.

She sniffled, jaw trembling as more tears streaked down her cheeks.

"There isn't a reason," he spoke quietly, voice deep and soothing. "That's the real answer. He'll live in prison during pretrial, then whatever happens, then someone will kill him in jail for what he did."

"She's still dead," Kate rasped, sniffling again as he wiped away the more recent tears. Her own hands lifted, rubbing at her eyes. "Sorry… I know, I know all that. I know not to get personally involved in a case, and not to apologize," she added ruefully. "It's these hormones."

Gibbs's head shook slightly. "We're not at work. Those aren't rules here," he murmured, a hand sliding to her thigh and rubbing it soothingly. "And you're not the only one that got sucked into this one. DiNozzo's not going to the bar just to meet friends tonight. They all want to forget this one, too."

She nodded, her hand stroking his arm now, seeking the connection. "I don't know why I'm getting all emotional about this," she sniffled again, working to keep her bottom lip from trembling again.

His hand lifted, palm flattening and resting across their baby. "Because of this. It changes everything, how you see everything."

Hazel eyes watched him as he caressed, her hand resting over his as she nodded. "I didn't know. It really is changing everything."

"I'm still right here," he promised.

Kate nodded, giving a soft sigh, her body relaxing as he rubbed slowly over the curve. "I'm glad we finally started on the nursery," she finally said, blinking away the last of her tears and meeting his gaze.

"Mhmm," he agreed. There wasn't much to agree on. He didn't have too much of an opinion on nurseries, so long as he got to make most of the furniture. It was Kate who fussed over color schemes and accents, whatever that meant. She worried about whether or not they should wait until they knew if they were having a boy or a girl, then decided she didn't want to wait a few more weeks. At the moment, she had settled on a cheerful blue—_Robin's Egg Blue_—she called it, with a sunny yellow and a soft gray for accents. Gender neutral. Privately, he'd decided he was more than okay with that, rather than Pepto Bismol pink if it turned out to be a girl—not that there was anything wrong with that, simply that it wasn't them.

She relaxed further across his waist, tension draining out by degrees as his hand slid around to her lower back. He let the heel of his palm work into the muscles that tended to bother her the most. "Am I going to be banned from the basement now that you've got the wood for your newest projects?"

His head shook. "Nah, I'll hang a sheet up when I get to the details. Gotta have a little surprise." Good hand sliding up her back, it cupped the back of her head, urging her down for a lingering kiss. He didn't spend as much time in the basement as he used to, but he still enjoyed woodworking. And she liked to be down there with him. Sometimes reading, sometimes sketching him. He'd kick her out when he did the staining and painting, some of the detailed carving.

Her lips parted, deepening the kiss. Gibbs's arms pulled her against him, her slender body molding against his. His hands slid under her shirt, gliding over the silky skin of her back as she made that familiar noise of contentment.

When Kate finally pulled back for air, she sucked in oxygen. Soft lips pressed a kiss to his temple before she murmured, "I really love you right now."

"Love you, too, Kate," he answered huskily, fingers tangling into her hair and drawing her in for another kiss and more.


End file.
